ABVP claims ‘Free Umar Khalid’, ‘Long Live Naxalbari’ slogans painted on JNU walls, seeks action

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has alleged that “objectionable” political graffiti, including slogans such as “Free Umar Khalid” and “Long Live Naxalbari”, have surfaced on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, demanding action against those responsible.

In a statement, the ABVP's JNU unit accused activists associated with Left-wing student organisations of defacing campus walls with offensive political slogans. The student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also alleged that objectionable remarks had been written alongside a portrait of V D Savarkar.

The allegations come days after similar slogans reportedly appeared at Jamia Millia Islamia, where protests demanding the restoration of the students' union have intensified, prompting university authorities to shift to online classes until further notice.

𝗔𝗕𝗩𝗣 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The ABVP claimed that such incidents threatened JNU's academic environment and could turn ideological differences into confrontations among students.

ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal said freedom of thought did not give any political ideology the right to disrespect opposing viewpoints or national figures.

“Writing offensive remarks alongside Savarkar's portrait and inscribing extremist political slogans on campus walls is not freedom of expression, but an attempt to vitiate the university's atmosphere,” Panchal alleged.

He urged the JNU administration to take cognisance of the alleged incidents, identify those responsible and initiate appropriate action.

ABVP JNU secretary Praveen Piyush also accused Left-wing student organisations of attempting to disrupt the university's atmosphere.

“The university doesn’t belong to any single ideology,” he said.

Piyush maintained that although students had the right to express dissent, damaging public property, insulting national figures and raising slogans that could fuel tensions were not in the interest of the student community.

𝗦𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱

The ABVP also criticised the graffiti supporting Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since September 2020 in connection with an alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots that year.

The organisation described the slogans as an attempt to turn the university campus into a centre of political provocation.

It maintained that JNU should remain a space where students could engage with diverse political and ideological perspectives, but argued that freedom of expression should not extend to defacement of public property or activities that could undermine the academic atmosphere.

The student organisation reiterated its demand for the university administration to investigate the allegations and take action against those found responsible.

There was no immediate response from the Left-wing student organisations named in the ABVP statement or from the JNU administration regarding the allegations.