'Can't be labs of hate': JNU vows strict action over anti-PM slogans; FIR filed against students

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday warned strict action against students who raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah during a campus protest, stating that the university "can't be laboratories of hate."Sharing a post on X, the university said, "The administration has vowed the strictest action against students found raising objectionable slogans against the Prime Minister and the Union home minister."The university said an "FIR has been lodged" and the administration will act against those raising "objectionable slogans." It underlined that while freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right, "universities are centres for innovation and new ideas, and they cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate." It added that any form of violence, unlawful conduct or "anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances."The statement came after an incident on Monday night when a group of students raised slogans against PM Modi and Shah during a protest held outside Sabarmati Hostel on the JNU campus. A purported video of the protest which circulated online shows slogans being raised against the two leaders. The protest began hours after the Supreme Court declined to grant bail to former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.Also read: Students raise controversial calls against PM Modi, Amit Shah after Omar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam denied bailIt was organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) to mark the sixth anniversary of the January 5, 2020 campus violence and to oppose the top court’s decision.Warning of strict consequences, the university said, "Students involved in this incident will also face disciplinary measures including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment from the University."In its complaint to the Vasant Kunj police, the university said the slogans constituted "hate speech" and violated the JNU Code of Conduct. It termed the act "a direct contempt of the Honorable Supreme Court of India" and sought the registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.