The white t-shirts, inscribed with the message 'Mera yaar, Kanhaiya Kumar', was in line with a similar move by an e-commerce company to sell t-shirts with Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's picture.
Hundreds of people were seen on Thursday wearing t-shirts printed with the image of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar at the protest rally in Delhi against his arrest, few of which were sold while some were distributed for free.
All India Students Federation activist Vishnu Jaisawl, claimed that he himself came up with the idea of printing the T-shirts, that attracted a large number of buyers in the initial hour of the demonstration.
However, the move to "use" the arrested student leader as a "brand" did not go down well with many of the protesters.
"There are several mode of protests. Keeping that in mind I don't see the point in commercialising the issue. It's completely unnecessary," a JNU research scholar, not wanting to be named, said.
A graduate of Kurukeshtra University, Mr Jaiswal said that the move to sell these T-shirts, costing Rs 150 each, bearing Kanhaiya's silhouetted image should not be seen from the commercial point of view.
"The purpose is not to make money but use these merchandise to add force to the JNU struggle, which I completely support," he said.
The white t-shirts, inscribed with the message 'Mera yaar, Kanhaiya Kumar', was in line with a similar move by an e-commerce company to sell t-shirts with Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula's picture following his suicide that had galvanised the student community.
Road-side flower vendors also did brisk business with a high demand for roses among the protesters who used it as a symbol of peace against "state repression".
Rameshwari, who was busy sifting through bundles of roses in the sidewalk leading to Barakhamba Road metro, said that she had managed to sell around 1,000 roses within two hours.
"I have sold around 50 bundles already. One bundle consists of 20 roses," she said, busy handing over stalks to buyers.