KOLKATA: The Union Home Ministry on Wednesday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the secessionist slogans raised during a protest march by a section of Jadavpur University students in support of the agitating JNU students.
A section of students of JU took out a procession late on Tuesday night with torches and some of them were heard shouting: “Kashmir maange azadi, Manipur maangey azadi, hum chheenkey lengey azadi” (Kashmir wants independence, Manipur wants independence, we will snatch independence) and “Afzal boley azadi, Geelani boley azadi, hum chheenkey lengey azadi” (Afzal means freedom, Geelani means freedom, we will snatch freedom). Union MoS for Home Kiren Rijuju said, “We are investigating the allegations and will seek a detailed report.” In some video clips, a student Nirjhar Mukherjee could be heard and seen raising these slogans while some others beside him clapped. Nirjhar, a former JU student, later tried to clarify in vain saying, “By ‘azadi’ I meant freedom from the BJP and RSS; I did not mean to utter any separatist slogans.”
Three students, who organised the protest, Shounak Mukherjee, Saikat Sheet and Priyosmita too distanced themselves from those who raised secessionist slogans. Shounak said, “We had called for a protest march and there were some former students who might have raised such slogans. We don’t endorse those slogans. Our protest is against police atrocities at JNU, which was part of the BJP’s greater dictatorship.”