On Sunday, October 1, reports emerged that some of the walls in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus were defaced with anti-India and anti-Hindu slogans including “Free Kashmir” and “Bhagwa Jalega” (Saffron will burn) slogans. Reportedly, slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also painted on the university walls. This comes after similar slogans were written on the walls of the educational institution in December last year.
In a video going viral online, it is seen that several walls on the JNU campus were defaced with slogans like, “Free Palestine”, “Free IOK”, and “Modi Teri Kabr Khudegi” (Modi, your grave will be dug) slogans.
?#BreakingNews#JNU में फिर बवाल…
— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) October 1, 2023
जेएनयू की दीवारों को 'भगवा जलेगा, फ्री कश्मीर और भारत अधिकृत कश्मीर से रंग दिया गया#Video pic.twitter.com/0pPNYy1Uy8
As seen in the visuals from the campus, “NRC” (National Register of Citizens) and “CAA” (Citizenship Amendment Act) have been defaced and crossed out on the walls of the JNU campus. In addition, the “Free Sharjeel” graffiti message was also written on the campus walls.
Yet again #JNU #Leftist #Jawaharlalnehruunuversity #JNU pic.twitter.com/qvwfhC1KAf
— Babasaheb (@bebesahab) October 1, 2023
Notably, “Free G.N. Sai” was also written on the JNU campus walls. It is pertinent to recall that in March 2017, the Gadchiroli Sessions Court convicted and sentenced GN Saibaba and seven others to life in prison for their involvement with the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), an offshoot of the CPI(Maoist). Saibaba and the others were seen posing with Naxal literature, and the court stated that they meant to distribute the literature in Gadchiroli in order to urge others to join the Naxalites. In October 2022, the Division Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justices Rohit B Deo and Anil Pansare acquitted GN Saibaba who was booked under UAPA due to procedural lapses. However, in April this year, the Supreme Court overturned Saibaba’s acquittal and remanded the case to the Nagpur bench for reconsideration by a different panel.
At this point, the identity of the perpetrators behind the anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans at the JNU campus remains unidentified. So far, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
In response to the outrageous slogans painted on JNU walls, ABVP Secretary Vikas Patel said, “We will submit a memorandum to the administration on this.” Since the beginning, we have demanded that CCTV cameras be set up on campus. However, they are not being placed due to objections from some of the leftist parties. Meanwhile, Dr Pravesh Kumar, SIS, JNU professor, while reacting to the incident said “It is condemnable. These incidents taint the JNU’s image.”
The identity of the perpetrators behind these anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans remains unidentified. The police have also not initiated an action in the matter. So far, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
It is notable that in December last year, a similar incident was reported from Delhi’s JNU wherein controversial slogans were written on the walls of several buildings located on the university campus, including the offices of several professors. Slogans against Brahmin and Vaishya communities were written on the walls of the School of International Studies-II building on the university campus. The slogans read “Brahmin-Baniya, we are coming for you”, “We will avenge”, “Brahmins Leave the campus”, “Brahmins leave India”, “Now there will be blood”, “Go back to Sakha” and others.
