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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Air India Express introduces late-night Bengaluru–Mangaluru service
International services at M’luru cancelled on March 7
Mangaluru: Air India Express will introduce a late-night daily flight service on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Bengaluru sector starting March 10, 2026.
According to the sources, flight IX 5971 will depart from Bengaluru at 9.25 pm and arrive in Mangaluru at 10.40 pm. The return flight, IX 5972, will depart from Mangaluru at 11.10 pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at 12.20 am.
The additional service will operate daily and will remain in effect until March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled all its scheduled international flights from Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) on March 7 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Bengaluru–Mangaluru sector already has multiple daily services. Apart from Air India Express, IndiGo also operates flights on this route.
