Clash at JNU over ‘Ravan Dahan’ poster depicting Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam
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New Delhi: A clash broke out at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday evening during a Durga idol immersion procession on Dussehra. The violence occurred near Sabarmati T-Point after tensions flared over a controversial poster.
According to JNUSU President Nitish Kumar, the confrontation began when a poster depicting jailed student leaders Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as Ravan was circulated earlier in the day. “Students from other groups were protesting against it when the ABVP’s Durga Visarjan procession reached the spot, and the situation turned chaotic,” Kumar said.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused Left-affiliated groups, including AISA, SFI and DSF, of launching an attack. “They violently attacked the immersion procession, pelted stones, and even targeted female students. This is not just violence, but an assault on our traditions,” the ABVP said in a statement.
However, Kumar alleged that ABVP members halted their DJ at the tea point for nearly half an hour, raised slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Yogi ji’s bulldozer justice is here,” and later resorted to waving slippers.
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) rejected ABVP’s allegations, accusing the group of politicising religion on campus. “ABVP is trying to communalise the campus through such programmes. This is nothing but propaganda,” AISA said.
The poster at the centre of the controversy portrayed Khalid and Imam—both jailed since 2020 under UAPA charges linked to the Delhi riots conspiracy case—as Ravan. The 2020 riots, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. Both Khalid and Imam deny the charges.
Last week, the Supreme Court directed Delhi Police to respond to their bail pleas after repeated rejections by lower courts.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
