JNU erupts with ‘Modi Sarkar Murdabad’ chants after SC bail denial; BJP slams ‘Anti-India’ protest

Protests were held at the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday following the Supreme Court’s decision to deny bail to former students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The Supreme Court of India, in its order dated January 5, refused bail to Khalid and Imam, while granting relief to five other accused — Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad. The bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria said the two denied bail stood on a “qualitatively different footing” due to the nature of allegations and evidence.

Videos from the JNU protest, allegedly showing objectionable slogans, went viral on social media. Some slogans were reportedly directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Delhi Police said it was aware of the videos circulating online and was seeking further details, adding that no formal complaint had been registered so far.

Reacting to the developments, Congress leader Udit Raj said the protest reflected anger over what he termed an “unfortunate” verdict, alleging injustice in the denial of bail to Khalid and Imam.

Also read: ‘Grave concern’: US lawmakers urge Indian Ambassador to grant bail for Umar Khalid

The Bharatiya Janata Party hit back sharply with the saffron brigade’s spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla, accusing the Congress of backing what he described as an “anti-India” narrative, while BJP leader Pradip Bhandari termed the sloganeering as a distortion of dissent.

Explaining its decision, the apex court said there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Imam under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It observed that their alleged roles were “central” to the conspiracy and ruled that prolonged incarceration and delay in trial could not override statutory restrictions under UAPA.