New Delhi । The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has vowed to take the strictest possible action against students involved in raising controversial slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that universities cannot be allowed to become “laboratories of hate.”
In an official statement shared on social media platform X on Tuesday, the JNU administration said that while freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right, any form of violence, unlawful conduct, or anti-national activity would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
“Universities are centres for innovation and new ideas, and they cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate,” the statement read. “Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right, but violence and anti-national activities are unacceptable.”
The university confirmed that an FIR has already been lodged in connection with the incident. It added that students found guilty of indulging in sloganeering would face disciplinary action, which could include immediate suspension, expulsion, and permanent debarment from the university.
The statement came a day after a group of students allegedly raised slogans against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister during a protest on the JNU campus. According to police sources, the FIR names several students, including Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) President Aditi Mishra.
It has been alleged that the slogans were raised during a protest held following the denial of bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots.
However, the JNUSU has rejected these allegations, stating that the gathering was a peaceful vigil organised on January 5, 2026, to commemorate the 2020 attacks on the JNU campus. In its statement, the students’ union said the event was meant to “keep the memory of the 2020 attacks on JNU alive” and to highlight what it described as a continuing pattern of injustice, particularly concerning Sabarmati Hostel, which was a major site of violence during the attacks.
The JNUSU also alleged that there were organised attempts to defame the university and target its students. “Unfortunately, the media, whose role is to speak truth to power, is siding with those in the government to spread slander against JNU,” the union claimed.
The incident has once again sparked a debate over the limits of free speech on university campuses and the role of student protests in India’s premier academic institutions.