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 campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, demanding that the administration take action against those responsible.
In a statement, the ABVP’s JNU unit accused activists linked to Left student bodies of defacing campus walls with “offensive” slogans. The student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) also alleged that offensive remarks were inscribed next to a portrait of V.D. Savarkar.
The claims come days after similar slogans allegedly surfaced on the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia, where protests demanding restoration of its students' union have escalated, prompting the authorities to move to online classes until further notice.
In JNU, the ABVP claimed that such incidents undermined the institute’s academic environment and risked escalating ideological disagreements into confrontations on campus.
ABVP JNU president Mayank Panchal said freedom of thought doesn’t give any 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,” he alleged.
He urged the JNU administration to take cognisance of the incidents, identify those responsible and initiate appropriate action.
ABVP JNU secretary Praveen Piyush accused Left-wing student organisations of attempting to disrupt the campus environment. “The university doesn’t belong to any single ideology,” he said.
While students have the right to dissent, damaging public property, insulting national figures and raising slogans that could stoke tensions are not in the interest of the student community, Mr. Piyush said.
The ABVP also criticised the slogans supporting Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since September 2020 in a ‘larger conspiracy’ case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots, calling them an attempt to turn the campus into a site of political provocation.
It said that while JNU should remain a space for diverse political and ideological viewpoints, such freedom should not extend to defacement of public property or activities that undermine its academic environment.
There was no immediate response from the student organisations named in the statement or the university administration.
Published - October 25, 2026 05:09 pm IST