Congress MP Imran Masood condemned the ‘Free Kashmir’ slogans found at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Masood backed students’ ongoing hunger strike for the restoration of the Jamia students’ union.
On the demand for Sharjeel Imam’s release, Masood said the Supreme Court should decide the matter, emphasising that everyone is entitled to justice under the Constitution.
Congress MP Imran Masood has condemned the ‘Free Kashmir’ slogans found on the walls of Jamia Millia Islamia, asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and calling for strict action against those responsible. At the same time, he defended the ongoing student agitation for the restoration of university union elections and said the Supreme Court should decide on the question of justice for jailed activist Sharjeel Imam.
Speaking to CNN-News18 after visiting the university on Wednesday night, Masood alleged that the slogans were intended to divert attention from the students’ demands for the restoration of student union elections and the reinstatement of rusticated students.
“The movement is being weakened through a conspiracy. Those who wrote these slogans should be identified and strict action should be taken against them. Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so,” Masood said.
Rejecting suggestions that he supported the slogans, he added, “Kashmir is our heart.”
Imran Masood Backs Jamia Students’ Demand For Elections
Masood said students at Jamia had been on an indefinite hunger strike to demand the restoration of student union elections and the reinstatement of rusticated students. He questioned the delay in announcing the election schedule and urged the university administration to implement the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee.
“Announce the election date and end the children’s hunger strike. Their health must also be taken care of, especially when they have been on hunger strike for 12 days,” he said in the interview.
The protest began on October 12 and intensified after university authorities attempted to remove demonstrators from Ghalib Lawn on October 17. The students have been demanding an official schedule for the 2026-27 Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) elections.
Masood alleged that the university administration was delaying the process and said the students’ demands should not remain unresolved. He also argued that the controversy over the slogans was being used to undermine the agitation for elected student representation.
The slogans found on campus included messages targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), alongside calls for ‘Free Kashmir’ and ‘Free Sharjeel Imam’. Masood urged the university administration to investigate the incident and identify those responsible.
‘Supreme Court Will Deliver Justice To Sharjeel Imam’
On the demand for Sharjeel Imam’s release, Masood told News18 that every individual was entitled to justice under the Constitution and that the Supreme Court was the appropriate forum to decide the matter.
Asked about Imam’s alleged remarks concerning the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck, and the charges against him in the 2020 Delhi riots case, including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Masood reiterated that the question should be left to the judiciary.
“Everyone has the right to justice under the Constitution. The Supreme Court will deliver justice, and we must have faith in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Imam is an accused in the larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots, and several courts have rejected his bail pleas. Masood maintained that the question of his release should be determined through the judicial process rather than political arguments.
The Congress MP also questioned who had written the slogans and suggested that they could be an attempt to divert attention from the students’ agitation. He called on the university administration to examine CCTV footage to identify those responsible.
When asked whether the protesting students were behind the slogans, Masood rejected the suggestion.
“I have openly spoken about this there, and everyone supported what I said,” he claimed, reiterating his demand for an investigation and action against those responsible.
