Controversial slogans raised against PM Modi, Amit Shah at JNU after Umar Khalid denied bail; BJP reacts

Around 30–40 students, associated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) and All India Students’ Association (AISA), were present when the slogans were raised.

• JNU students protested after Supreme Court denied bail to Khalid and Imam
• Protests included slogans against PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah
• BJP leaders accused Left-wing groups of promoting anti-India ideology on campus

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Objectionable slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were purportedly raised during a protest by Left-wing students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus. A clip of the protest is doing the rounds on social media.

Around 30–40 students, associated with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) and All India Students’ Association (AISA), were present when the slogans were raised.

The protests took place hours after the Supreme Court denied bail to former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case.

January 5 also marked six years since the January 2020 attack on students and teachers at JNU by masked assailants. The JNU Teachers’ Union (JNUTA) commemorated the day as a “brutal attack" and alleged that those responsible remain unidentified. The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) organised a symbolic “Guerilla Dhaba" event to protest the 2020 violence.

According to News18, students also demonstrated against the top court’s refusal to grant bail to Khalid and Imam, demanding their release and terming the decision an attempt to suppress student voices.

Protests have been underway over the installation of facial recognition technology and magnetic gates in the campus library, along with objections to Delhi Police notices issued to some JNUSU office-bearers in connection with the issue.

Aditi Mishra, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president, told PTI that every year, students hold a protest to condemn the violence which occurred on the campus on January 5, 2020. "All of the slogans raised in the protest were ideological and do not attack anyone personally. They were not directed towards anyone," she said.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer said no complaint regarding the slogans has been received.

BJP reacts sharply

BJP leaders have accused Left-wing groups of promoting anti-India ideology on campus. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that slogans such as “Modi Shah ki kabr khudegi" were raised by what he termed the “tukde ecosystem" after the denial of bail to Khalid and Imam, calling the protesters “urban Naxals" and an “anti-India bunch."

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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

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari claimed the late-night protest outside Sabarmati Hostel was not a legitimate demonstration but an appropriation of “anti-India thought”.

"...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, doctors, or engineers,” Bhandari posted on X.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Udit Raj told Times now that this is a way of expressing resentment. "There is outrage in the JNU (against the Supreme Court's verdict in the 2020 Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case)...They (Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam) are being treated like this as they are Muslims," said Raj.