Kurukshetra Police Register Case Against JJP Leaders Over Campus Event Controversy

Kurukshetra Police have registered an FIR against Digvijay Singh Chautala, several other leaders of the Jannayak Janta Party, and an assistant professor of Kurukshetra University in connection with alleged damage to public property during an event held on the university campus on April 7. The case has been registered under charges including damage to public property, unauthorized entry, and criminal conspiracy. The action follows allegations that chairs and other university property were damaged during the programme organized by the party. According to the complaint, security staff reported that around 300 to 400 students and outsiders attended the event. It was alleged that the venue, which had been booked for an anti-drug awareness programme, was instead used for delivering political speeches. Authorities expressed concern that the event could create hostility among different student groups, disturb the academic atmosphere of the university, and disrupt public order. The complaint further stated that no anti-drug programme was conducted as initially claimed and that the main purpose of entering the campus appeared to be to provoke unrest and create divisions among students. It was also reported that around 80 chairs in Dr. R.K. Sadan hall, along with some other property, were damaged during the programme. Following the incident, students associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad staged protests against both the university administration and JJP leaders. At that time, the university pacified the protesting students and informed them that the event organizers had contacted the administration after the incident and assured compensation for the damages caused. During the programme, Digvijay Singh Chautala had reportedly warned the Haryana government that if direct student union elections were not notified within three months, a statewide agitation would be launched. The FIR names Digvijay Singh Chautala, Jaswinder Khaira, Dr. Ajaib Singh, Vishal Mukimpura, Naveen Suhag, Deepak Malik, Rajesh Pilot, Manju Jakhar, Raju, Mahi, Ishika, and several others as accused in the case. Reacting to the FIR, Jaswinder Khaira, Senior State Vice President of Youth JJP, alleged that the case was registered under government pressure. He said the event took place on April 7, but the FIR was lodged on April 17, despite the organizers agreeing to compensate for the damage. He also stated that the hall had been officially booked and the required rental and security deposit had been paid. Khaira further claimed that after the incident, the organizers held discussions with the university administration, which had agreed to send an estimate of the damage so that compensation could be paid. However, he alleged that after the Hisar incident, the university registered the FIR under pressure from the government. After the FIR was filed, Digvijay Singh Chautala posted on social media that another FIR had been lodged against him and his colleagues in an old matter. He alleged that the government was attempting to suppress student voices and restrict university spaces to certain organizations. He asserted that the issue was not about party politics but about the freedom and autonomy of universities, and called on supporters to remain united in the struggle.