3 weeks ago
JNU Venue Cancellation Sparks Slogans Clash at Umar Khalid's Event
A JNU student group wanted to talk about a book written by Umar Khalid, who is in jail.
JNU is a big university in Delhi, India.
The book is called 'Fractured Communities' and it is about Adivasi people, who are Indigenous communities in India.
Before the talk could start, the university cancelled the room booking.
It said the organisers had not shared all the details about the event.
The students' union, called JNUSU, decided to hold the talk anyway, outside another building.
Another student group, called ABVP, did not want the talk to happen and shouted angry slogans.
Both groups shouted at each other.
In the end, all the speakers got to talk, even with people interrupting them.
The event lasted about 90 minutes and ended when ABVP students left.
JNU cancelled the School of Social Sciences-I (SSS-I) auditorium booking for the book discussion shortly before it was due to begin, saying organisers had not disclosed the full facts about the programme.
Around 300 to 400 students gathered, and the discussion went ahead despite the cancellation, with copies of Khalid's book sold outside the SSS-2 block.
ABVP backed the administration's decision, called Khalid 'anti-national', and interrupted speakers with placards and slogans.
ABVP and JNUSU supporters exchanged heated counter-slogans including 'Islamabad ki khabar khudegi' and 'ABVP go back'.
The roughly 90-minute confrontation ended in the rain after ABVP students left, with all panel members having managed to speak.
- Who
- Umar Khalid, the jailed former JNU student whose book was discussed; JNUSU, which organised the event; ABVP, which opposed it; and the JNU administration, which cancelled the venue.
- What
- A book discussion on 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power' that went ahead despite a last-minute venue cancellation, marked by slogans clashes between JNUSU and ABVP supporters.
- Where
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, India; originally at the SSS-I auditorium, with the discussion continuing and books sold outside the SSS-2 block.
- When
- August 10, 2026 (Monday), originally scheduled from 3 pm to 6 pm.
- Why
- JNUSU insisted the event go ahead despite the cancellation, while ABVP backed the administration's decision and protested against Khalid, leading to confrontation.
JNUSU and supporters (event should proceed)
ABVP and university administration (event should be cancelled)
Holding the book discussion
JNUSU and supporters (event should proceed)
JNUSU held the event despite the cancelled booking, questioning why the administration was concerned about a book by a former JNU student. JNU AISA President Aditi alleged the cancellation was fraudulent and unexplained.
ABVP and university administration (event should be cancelled)
ABVP supported the cancellation, called Khalid 'anti-national', and said it would assist the administration in taking corrective measures. JNU said the booking was cancelled because organisers had not disclosed the full facts.
Khalid's record and the book's content
JNUSU and supporters (event should proceed)
Banojyotsna Lahiri said the book was the outcome of extensive academic research, and Aditi argued Khalid should be acknowledged as a historian rather than kept marginalised.
ABVP and university administration (event should be cancelled)
ABVP protesters called Khalid a 'terrorist' and a 'dalal of SIMI', questioned how an 'elite panel' could discuss inequalities faced by marginalised communities, and asked whether Khalid had defended Afzal Guru.
Conduct during the event
JNUSU and supporters (event should proceed)
JNUSU and AISA/SFI supporters responded with slogans such as 'ABVP go back', and all panel members managed to speak despite repeated interruptions.
ABVP and university administration (event should be cancelled)
ABVP said it would not forcibly stop the discussion but would assist the administration in correcting the situation, and its members interrupted speakers with placards and slogans.
Key facts
- Event
- Book discussion on 'Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power' by Umar Khalid
- Occasion
- International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
- Organiser
- Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU)
- Date and time
- August 10, 2026, scheduled 3 pm to 6 pm
- Original venue
- School of Social Sciences-I (SSS-I) auditorium, JNU, Delhi
- Reason for cancellation
- Organisers did not disclose the full facts about the programme, according to JNU
- Attendance
- Around 300-400 students
- Event outcome
- Roughly 90-minute discussion; all panellists spoke despite ABVP interruptions
Quotes
JNU Administration Spokesperson
Representative of Jawaharlal Nehru University administration
“JNU is a democratic and decentralised institution. The permission was given by the Dean, SSS, who has taken action as well in cancelling the event.”
news18.com
Sources
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