Nirmala Sitharaman has accused JNU students of waging war, let her prove it in a court of law

By Kamal Mitra Chenoy*
Nirmala Sitharaman my junior in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has claimed that the UL (United Left) which won a sweeping majority in the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) elections is “waging war against India,” on September 14.
But it was the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, which disrupted the counting, controlled by the Election Commission, in the early hours of the morning at 3.30 am of September 15, and counting only restarted at 6.15 pm on September 15, when it was agreed that two teachers would ensure that the counting was fair.
Fourteen of fifteen posts in the three major schools (School of International Studies,School of Social Sciences and School of Languages) were won by the UL. All four office bearers, the President, Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary of the UL were elected by a large margin defeating the ABVP.
In the night of September 16, students complained that they had been attacked by the ABVP in the hostels. No action was taken by the administration. On September 17 morning, a group of the faculty, about 18-20, went to the Vasant Kunj Police Station. There were dozens of people there who were threatening S Balaji, the newly elected JNUSU President. 5 FIRs were lodged by the police based on complaints by the ABVP, JNUSU and faculty, with a sixth lodged on September 18.

Kamal Mitra Chenoy

There were no slogans shouted against the country, or disrespect to any laws or rules. So on what basis does Nirmala Sitharaman accuse the JNU students of waging war against the country? Is the argument that if students contest against the RSS/ABVP they are waging war against India, as the Minister claims?
How, where is the UL waging war? Where is the war? Is it over the highly questionable Rafale deal? But have the JNUSU stopped any deal? It is the honourable Minister who didn’t see the counting of votes but is slandering the JNU, the teachers and students who oversaw the JNUSU elections, and that for the first time in many years, two teachers oversaw the conduct of counting of votes.
We all lose sometimes, on something. But we do not slander democratic processes. But does the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) care about this? Nirmala Sitharaman accuses the JNU students of waging war, let her prove it in a court of law. It is she who is trying to suppress democracy by claiming that students are waging war against India. War by JNUSU? Against whom? For what? It seems that Nirmala Sitharaman is talking of a war no one has heard of. Nor has she shown one coming!

---

*Academic and activist. Source: Author's Facebook timeline

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Search This Blog