Yogeshwar Dutt Pens Poem Criticising Jawaharlal Nehru University Activists

Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympic medallist wrestler, has penned a moving patriotic poem in Hindi, criticising the alleged anti-national activities on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, which has gone viral on the internet. (Read more sports stories here)

The poem, which was uploaded on Yogeshwar's official Facebook page on February 13, has received tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. In the 19-line poem, the London Olympics bronze medallist has compared the students who have raised anti-national slogans in JNU to medieval Turkic invader Mahmud Ghaznavi.

Here's an English rendering of a part of the poem:

Those who are singing the praises of Afzal (Guru) have the blood of Mahmud Ghaznavi in them/They consider themselves as enemies of the country in which they are born/What sort of freedom of speech is this, that permits one to abuse mother India/What sort of freedom of expression allows one to violate the honour of my country.

The 33-year-old wrestler also accused the students and their supporters of dishonouring the sacrifice of Indian soldiers, including Lance Naik Hanumanthappa -- one of 10 soldiers who died in an avalanche in Siachen earlier this month.

The JNU controversy erupted last week after some students held an event on the campus to protest against the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, several students were alleged to have raised anti-national slogans calling for the destruction of India and the withdrawal of Indian security forces from the Kashmir Valley.

In a separate comment on social networking platform Twitter, Yogeshwar also pointed out the futility of soldiers and sportsmen shedding blood and sweat for people who have no respect for their sacrifices.