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Action against Dalit-OBC students in Wardha Hindi University due to Leftist slogans: Campus is filled with sarcasm of 'Sorry Savarkar'
Wardha, November 13, 2025: A stormy atmosphere has once again created in Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University. After the victory of the Left alliance in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union elections, some students celebrated on the campus, and raised sarcastic slogans like 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' and 'Bhag Narendra, Bhaag Narendra'. Due to these slogans, the university administration has suspended 10 Dalit and OBC PhD students from the hostel for 14 days. The university said that these slogans harm the 'honor of great men', while the students consider them part of 'revolutionary slogans'. The controversy is not limited to the incidents on the campus alone, but is focusing on issues of student rights, freedom of expression and political polarization.
The matter began on the night of November 6. On hearing the news of the defeat of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the JNU elections, some students of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha gathered in the hostel premises. They were about 10 to 15 people, and they raised revolutionary slogans like 'Inquilab Zindabad', 'Bhagat Singh Zindabad', 'Jai Bhim'. However, these included sarcastic slogans like 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar, RSS's small port, Bhaag Narendra Bhaag Narendra'. According to the students, these slogans were raised to express joy over the victory in JNU and to mock the ideology of ABVP. The slogan 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar' is particularly associated with the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the RSS, which is associated with ABVP, which has always been controversial among Left and Dalit activists.
The university administration, however, considered these slogans as 'insult to the dignity of great men'. On November 7, ABVP activists staged a protest in front of the university administration building, alleging that the slogans insulted Savarkar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The administration then issued show-cause notices to six students – Kaushal Kumar, Karanvir Singh, Brijesh Sonkar, Rakesh Ahirwar, Ashwini Sonkar and Dhananjay Singh. The notices alleged unauthorised assembly, insulting great men, disturbing the peace and disturbing the campus atmosphere. The students were ordered to respond within three days.
On November 10, the students responded. They clarified that there was no procession or meeting; it was just a group of friends walking around shouting revolutionary slogans. The part ‘Narendra’ meant ‘Bal Narendra – Bal Narendra’, and there was no intention to insult any great man. Still, the administration said it was not satisfactory and on November 11, four students – Dharmendra Kumar, Manish Chaudhary, Satyendra Rai and Abhijeet Kumar – were suspended from the hostel for 14 days. The order of Proctor Rakesh Kumar Mishra said that this step has been taken to maintain an academic and peaceful environment. Apart from this, a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) was filed at Ramnagar police station on November 10 itself. Based on CCTV footage, it was stated that these slogans were insulting. Due to the NCR, a court permission will be required for an arrest, but the investigation will continue. University Registrar Kader Nawaz Khan explained the reason for this action. "We had to go to the police. The students created a dispute. Look at the language of the slogans. They raised slogans till midnight and spoiled the atmosphere of the hostel. They were not allowed to hold a rally. There is an attempt to spoil the atmosphere in the campus, and this action was taken to stop it," he said. Asked whether 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' alone is enough, he replied, "Read the slogans before it too." Regarding the slogan 'Bhag Narendra Bhag Narendra', he said, "The discussion is not about liking or disliking; it is about harming the academic environment of the university." Asked if there was an RSS branch operating on the campus, he said, "It will have to be investigated. The records will have to be checked." He also stressed that the university cannot allow any student organisation - irrespective of its ideology - to take out a rally or procession without permission.
Most of the suspended students are from the Dalit and OBC communities. All of them are PhD students and are associated with Left organisations like the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI). Dhananjay Singh said, "We did not take out any procession. We were just walking. There were ten to fifteen of us students. At that time, we raised slogans like Inquilab Zindabad, Bhagat Singh Zindabad, Jai Bhim." Responding to the show cause notices, he wrote, "We clarify on the issues raised that we did not insult any great man, did not raise derogatory slogans, and there was no gathering. We were just walking with some friends."
Chandan Saroj, a PhD student associated with AISF, strongly commented on the matter. "For ABVP, which believes in the principles of Savarkar, the slogans 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' were intolerable. An oppressive atmosphere has been created in the university, where slogans other than 'Jai Shri Ram' are not tolerated. 'Jai Bhim', 'Lal Salaam' or 'Jai Samvidhan' are not tolerated.
Wardha, November 13, 2025: A stormy atmosphere has once again created in Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University. After the victory of the Left alliance in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union elections, some students celebrated on the campus, and raised sarcastic slogans like 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' and 'Bhag Narendra, Bhaag Narendra'. Due to these slogans, the university administration has suspended 10 Dalit and OBC PhD students from the hostel for 14 days. The university said that these slogans harm the 'honor of great men', while the students consider them part of 'revolutionary slogans'. The controversy is not limited to the incidents on the campus alone, but is focusing on issues of student rights, freedom of expression and political polarization.
The matter began on the night of November 6. On hearing the news of the defeat of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the JNU elections, some students of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha gathered in the hostel premises. They were about 10 to 15 people, and they raised revolutionary slogans like 'Inquilab Zindabad', 'Bhagat Singh Zindabad', 'Jai Bhim'. However, these included sarcastic slogans like 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar, RSS's small port, Bhaag Narendra Bhaag Narendra'. According to the students, these slogans were raised to express joy over the victory in JNU and to mock the ideology of ABVP. The slogan 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar' is particularly associated with the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the RSS, which is associated with ABVP, which has always been controversial among Left and Dalit activists.
The university administration, however, considered these slogans as 'insult to the dignity of great men'. On November 7, ABVP activists staged a protest in front of the university administration building, alleging that the slogans insulted Savarkar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The administration then issued show-cause notices to six students – Kaushal Kumar, Karanvir Singh, Brijesh Sonkar, Rakesh Ahirwar, Ashwini Sonkar and Dhananjay Singh. The notices alleged unauthorised assembly, insulting great men, disturbing the peace and disturbing the campus atmosphere. The students were ordered to respond within three days.
On November 10, the students responded. They clarified that there was no procession or meeting; it was just a group of friends walking around shouting revolutionary slogans. The part ‘Narendra’ meant ‘Bal Narendra – Bal Narendra’, and there was no intention to insult any great man. Still, the administration said it was not satisfactory and on November 11, four students – Dharmendra Kumar, Manish Chaudhary, Satyendra Rai and Abhijeet Kumar – were suspended from the hostel for 14 days. The order of Proctor Rakesh Kumar Mishra said that this step has been taken to maintain an academic and peaceful environment. Apart from this, a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) was filed at Ramnagar police station on November 10 itself. Based on CCTV footage, it was stated that these slogans were insulting. Due to the NCR, a court permission will be required for an arrest, but the investigation will continue. University Registrar Kader Nawaz Khan explained the reason for this action. "We had to go to the police. The students created a dispute. Look at the language of the slogans. They raised slogans till midnight and spoiled the atmosphere of the hostel. They were not allowed to hold a rally. There is an attempt to spoil the atmosphere in the campus, and this action was taken to stop it," he said. Asked whether 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' alone is enough, he replied, "Read the slogans before it too." Regarding the slogan 'Bhag Narendra Bhag Narendra', he said, "The discussion is not about liking or disliking; it is about harming the academic environment of the university." Asked if there was an RSS branch operating on the campus, he said, "It will have to be investigated. The records will have to be checked." He also stressed that the university cannot allow any student organisation - irrespective of its ideology - to take out a rally or procession without permission.
Most of the suspended students are from the Dalit and OBC communities. All of them are PhD students and are associated with Left organisations like the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI). Dhananjay Singh said, "We did not take out any procession. We were just walking. There were ten to fifteen of us students. At that time, we raised slogans like Inquilab Zindabad, Bhagat Singh Zindabad, Jai Bhim." Responding to the show cause notices, he wrote, "We clarify on the issues raised that we did not insult any great man, did not raise derogatory slogans, and there was no gathering. We were just walking with some friends."
Chandan Saroj, a PhD student associated with AISF, strongly commented on the matter. "For ABVP, which believes in the principles of Savarkar, the slogans 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' were intolerable. An oppressive atmosphere has been created in the university, where slogans other than 'Jai Shri Ram' are not tolerated. 'Jai Bhim', 'Lal Salaam' or 'Jai Samvidhan' are not tolerated.
The matter began on the night of November 6. On hearing the news of the defeat of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the JNU elections, some students of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha gathered in the hostel premises. They were about 10 to 15 people, and they raised revolutionary slogans like 'Inquilab Zindabad', 'Bhagat Singh Zindabad', 'Jai Bhim'. However, these included sarcastic slogans like 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar, RSS's small port, Bhaag Narendra Bhaag Narendra'. According to the students, these slogans were raised to express joy over the victory in JNU and to mock the ideology of ABVP. The slogan 'Sorry Sorry Savarkar' is particularly associated with the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the RSS, which is associated with ABVP, which has always been controversial among Left and Dalit activists.
The university administration, however, considered these slogans as 'insult to the dignity of great men'. On November 7, ABVP activists staged a protest in front of the university administration building, alleging that the slogans insulted Savarkar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The administration then issued show-cause notices to six students – Kaushal Kumar, Karanvir Singh, Brijesh Sonkar, Rakesh Ahirwar, Ashwini Sonkar and Dhananjay Singh. The notices alleged unauthorised assembly, insulting great men, disturbing the peace and disturbing the campus atmosphere. The students were ordered to respond within three days.
On November 10, the students responded. They clarified that there was no procession or meeting; it was just a group of friends walking around shouting revolutionary slogans. The part ‘Narendra’ meant ‘Bal Narendra – Bal Narendra’, and there was no intention to insult any great man. Still, the administration said it was not satisfactory and on November 11, four students – Dharmendra Kumar, Manish Chaudhary, Satyendra Rai and Abhijeet Kumar – were suspended from the hostel for 14 days. The order of Proctor Rakesh Kumar Mishra said that this step has been taken to maintain an academic and peaceful environment. Apart from this, a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) was filed at Ramnagar police station on November 10 itself. Based on CCTV footage, it was stated that these slogans were insulting. Due to the NCR, a court permission will be required for an arrest, but the investigation will continue. University Registrar Kader Nawaz Khan explained the reason for this action. "We had to go to the police. The students created a dispute. Look at the language of the slogans. They raised slogans till midnight and spoiled the atmosphere of the hostel. They were not allowed to hold a rally. There is an attempt to spoil the atmosphere in the campus, and this action was taken to stop it," he said. Asked whether 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' alone is enough, he replied, "Read the slogans before it too." Regarding the slogan 'Bhag Narendra Bhag Narendra', he said, "The discussion is not about liking or disliking; it is about harming the academic environment of the university." Asked if there was an RSS branch operating on the campus, he said, "It will have to be investigated. The records will have to be checked." He also stressed that the university cannot allow any student organisation - irrespective of its ideology - to take out a rally or procession without permission.
Most of the suspended students are from the Dalit and OBC communities. All of them are PhD students and are associated with Left organisations like the All India Students Federation (AISF) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI). Dhananjay Singh said, "We did not take out any procession. We were just walking. There were ten to fifteen of us students. At that time, we raised slogans like Inquilab Zindabad, Bhagat Singh Zindabad, Jai Bhim." Responding to the show cause notices, he wrote, "We clarify on the issues raised that we did not insult any great man, did not raise derogatory slogans, and there was no gathering. We were just walking with some friends."
Chandan Saroj, a PhD student associated with AISF, strongly commented on the matter. "For ABVP, which believes in the principles of Savarkar, the slogans 'Sorry, Sorry Savarkar' were intolerable. An oppressive atmosphere has been created in the university, where slogans other than 'Jai Shri Ram' are not tolerated. 'Jai Bhim', 'Lal Salaam' or 'Jai Samvidhan' are not tolerated.
