Several Left-wing student organisations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a gathering on the campus on Monday evening.
The sloganeering took place near the ‘Guerrilla Dhaba’, a popular student hangout within the university premises.
The protest followed the Supreme Court’s decision to deny bail to former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case, according to sources.
Around 30 to 40 students affiliated with the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) participated in the protest.
The students raised several anti-government slogans, including one that referred to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah, which later sparked political outrage.
The demonstration drew attention on social media after videos of the sloganeering began circulating widely, prompting immediate reactions from political leaders.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the sloganeering and linked the protest to the denial of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
BJP leaders accused the protesting students of being part of what they described as the ‘tukde-tukde ecosystem’ and labelled them ‘urban Naxals’.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a post on X, criticised the protest and said the slogans reflected an anti-India mindset. He alleged that certain groups were using the issue of bail denial to further what he termed an anti-national narrative.
Modi Shah ki Kabr Khudegi
JNU ki dharti parThese slogans chanted by Tukde ecosystem in JNU after Sharjeel Umar denied bail
This is an anti India bunch of Urban Naxals
But it’s not just them..
Votebank ke Naam Par
Umar Sharjeel Bachao Gang kaam parPrithviraj Chavan: Umar… https://t.co/kesgV1TnKR pic.twitter.com/GJ0rlTtJOW
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) January 6, 2026
Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, also denounced the incident, stating that the protest was not an expression of dissent but an appropriation of anti-India thought.
In his post on X, he accused the protesters of supporting individuals facing serious charges and described them as ‘intellectual terrorists’.
“MODI SHAH KI KABRA KHUDEGI JNU KI DHARTI PAR”
Urban Naxals in support of Anti National Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam protested late night in JNU outside Sabarmati Hostel.
This is not protest, this appropriation of Anti India Thought!
Intellectual Terorist can be academics,… pic.twitter.com/vwDoiI63pf
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) January 6, 2026
No Complaint Filed, Says Police
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said they had not received any formal complaint regarding the sloganeering incident at the JNU campus.
Officials added that they were aware of the reports circulating on social media but had not initiated any action in the absence of a complaint.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also weighed in on the controversy, alleging that JNU had become a hub for the so-called ‘tukde-tukde gang’.
He claimed that opposition parties, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and Left parties, were using the campus to promote divisive politics. Singh asserted that the country would not tolerate such activities.
The incident has once again brought JNU into the national spotlight, rekindling the debate over campus politics, freedom of expression and alleged radicalisation within universities.
While Left-wing student groups have often defended such protests as democratic dissent, the BJP continues to accuse them of undermining national unity.
As reactions continue to pour in, authorities remain watchful, even as no official complaint has been filed so far.
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