Row erupts as students burn PM Modi’s effigy in JNU

Stoking yet another controversy, a section of JNU students, on the occasion of Dussehra, vent their ire by burning the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday.

While Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif, 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed and heads of several other militant organisations were the faces of Ravana effigies burnt on Dussehra across the country, JNU students chose the visages of the PM and Mr Shah to represent the demon king.

The act prompted criticism from the BJP with Delhi party president Satish Upadhyay calling the students “traitors” of the country. “The act shows the mentality of the students and faculty of the country’s premier institution. In the name of democracy and freedom of speech they are disrespecting the PM of this country. They are also disgracing democracy and Constitution of this country,” he said.

Mr Upadhyay has demanded strict action against students or faculty involved in burning of the effigies.

Besides the PM and Mr Shah, the effigy had faces of Yoga guru Ramdev, Sadhvi Pragya, Nathuram Godse, Asaram Bapu and JNU V-C Jagadesh Kumar. The students also carried placards with the slogan “Truth shall prevail over evil”.

Meanwhile, a senior police official said that no compliant in this regard has been received at the police station. “If any complaint is registered, a necessary action will be taken as per the law,” he said.

Members of the Congress-affiliated National Stude-nts’ Union of India (NSUI) celebrated Dussehra on Tuesday night by burning the effigy of Mr Modi as Ravan, claiming that it was a protest against the Centre’s failure in honouring its promises and the continuous attacks on various educational institutions across the country.

The effigy was burnt at the famous Saraswati Dhaba on the JNU campus.

“The effigy-burning was to symbolise our dissatisfaction with the current government. The idea is to root out the evil from governance and bring about a system that is pro-student and pro-people,” said Sunny Diman, NSUI’s candidate in the recently concluded JNUSU polls.

However, the act might even backfire on them considering the university’s decision last week to order a proctorial inquiry into the effigy burning of the Gujarat government and “gau-rakshak (cow vigilantes)” and to issue showcause notices to the students concerned.

“Look at what this government has done to our country. The promises it made are still on paper and are repeated only in speeches. Whenever students want to raise their voice, they are attacked by the administration... This Dussehra, we wanted to put an end to these rubbish activities,” Mr Dhiman added.

University officials, when contacted, were tight-lip-ped about whether the students had sought permission for the event or not.