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**JNU Campus Erupts in Controversy as ABVP Burns Effigy Depicting Jailed Student Activists**
**New Delhi – October 3, 2025** – Tensions flared at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, staged an effigy burning during Dasara celebrations, sparking outrage from the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU).
The effigy, meant to represent Ravana, the mythological demon king, was modified to include the faces of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, two student activists who have been imprisoned for five years and are currently on trial.
According to the ABVP, the burning was symbolic. Vaibhav Meena, JNUSU Joint Secretary and the sole ABVP representative on the union panel, said the effigy represented “Naxalism, Leftism, Maoist violence, and anti-national ideologies.” Meena defended the decision, stating that the figures portrayed as Ravana’s heads symbolized these ideologies.
The JNUSU strongly condemned the action. In a joint statement, the other three JNUSU office bearers accused the ABVP of spreading “politics of hate and disharmony” and called on students to “isolate these forces.” They highlighted the prolonged incarceration of Khalid and Imam, emphasizing that their bail requests had been rejected “on flimsy grounds”. The JNUSU statement also mentioned global concerns expressed by intellectuals, activists, and jurists regarding the imprisonment of political prisoners under the current government. In response, they also encouraged students to burn effigies of ABVP members.
The incident has ignited a fresh wave of debate on freedom of expression, political dissent, and the role of student organizations in shaping campus discourse. The controversy is expected to fuel further protests and discussions within the university community.
First Piper 