Home Ministry Asks For Report on PM Modi’s Effigy Burning in JNU

Besides Modi, the effigy had faces of Yoga guru Ramdev, Nathuram Godse, Asaram Bapu and JNU Vice-Chancellor.

Members of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) celebrated Dussehra last night by burning the effigy of Modi as Raavan. (Photo Courtesy: YouTube/Sunny Dhiman)

While Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and heads of several other militant organisations were the faces of Raavan effigies burnt on Dussehra across the country, a section of JNU students chose the visages of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to represent the demon king and burnt his effigy.

On Thursday, JNU administration ordered an inquiry into burning of the effigy of PM Modi and others.

"We have ordered an inquiry into the effigy burning incident and are examining the issue," said JNU Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar, whose picture was also put on the effigy set ablaze on Tuesday night.

The move comes nearly a week after the varsity ordered a proctorial inquiry into burning of effigy of Gujarat government and 'gau rakshaks' (cow vigilantes) and issued show-cause notices to the students concerned.

Meanwhile, the home ministry has asked for a report on the burning of the effigy.

Members of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) celebrated Dussehra Tuesday night by burning the effigy of Modi as Raavan, 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.

Besides Modi and Shah, the effigy had faces of Yoga guru Ramdev, Sadhvi Pragya, Nathuram Godse, Asaram Bapu and JNU Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar. The students also carried placards with the slogan, ‘Truth shall prevail over evil’.

“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, an NSUI activist and the outfit’s candidate in the recently-concluded JNUSU polls.

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, certainly on instructions from the government. This Dussehra, we wanted to put an end to these rubbish activities.

Sunny Diman

The effigy was burnt at the famous Saraswati Dhaba in the JNU campus. University officials, when contacted, were tight-lipped about whether the students had sought a permission for the event or not.