Jawaharlal Nehru University witnessed unrest this Vijayadashami following the burning of effigies during a Ravan Dahan event that has drawn criticism from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU). The union has accused the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of promoting communal discord by depicting former students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as Ravana, a move they say was intended to stoke religious hatred and vilify Muslim figures under the guise of tradition.
The JNUSU, in a detailed statement, condemned the act as an open attempt to spread Islamophobia and exploit sacred customs for political gain. It pointed out that both Khalid and Imam have been imprisoned for five years without conviction and remain under trial. The students’ union argued that the burning of their effigies amounted to a symbolic public trial, bypassing the legal process and portraying the accused as enemies of the nation in a deeply communal setting.
A student present during the events told FoEJ Media that, “Since morning, there was talk in the group that photos of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam would be burned along with Ravan, which created a stir among the groups.”
The effigy burning took place during a Durga Puja-related procession on campus. As part of Vijayadashami celebrations, a Shobha Yatra and idol immersion were being held when tensions flared between ABVP members and Left-affiliated student groups near Sabarmati hostel. Eyewitnesses say shoes and sandals were hurled during the altercation, forcing participants to retreat amid rising tempers.
“They started throwing slippers at us, They were playing highly provocative songs at full volume, with lines like ‘every child in the country will chant Jai Shri Ram,” a JNU student told FoEJ Media.
Further, JNUSU pointed to a long-standing pattern of political groups using religion as a tool for division. It referenced a 1945 issue of Agrani, an RSS publication, which carried a cartoon showing Gandhi, Nehru, and Maulana Azad as Ravana, while figures like Savarkar and Syama Prasad Mukherjee were depicted as Ram. Nathuram Godse, who later assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, was said to be on the editorial board of the magazine at the time. JNUSU cited this as an example of how religious imagery has been historically used to vilify ideological opponents.
ABVP, however, stood by the effigy burning. Vaibhav Meena, the union’s joint secretary and an ABVP representative, said and The Hindusan Times reportedthe act was intended to symbolically condemn “Naxal-inspired forces” on campus. Effigies of figures like Afzal Guru, G. Sai Baba, and Charu Majumdar were also burned alongside Khalid and Imam. Meena described the event as a protest against radical ideology, not a communal statement.
He further accused members of Left organisations of disrupting the Shobha Yatra by throwing footwear and attempting to intimidate those taking part in the procession. According to him, the act was conducted peacefully until these alleged provocations.
