Amid clashes, Bengal CM orders probe into 'anti-national' graffiti at Jadavpur University
The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, has directed the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University (JU) and senior officials of the state’s higher education department to launch an immediate inquiry into alleged ‘anti-national’ graffiti and posters at the boys’ hostel of the university’s Arts unit. The directive comes days after a violent clash between supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student unions on the campus.
In a post on X, Mr. Adhikari said educational institutions are sacred spaces of learning, academic excellence and nation-building. He claimed that some instances of “objectionable, sociopathic, violent and anti-national” wall graffiti and drawings had been found inside the Arts Division Boys Hostel premises. “Under no circumstances will campus premises be permitted to be used as platforms for spreading deranged propaganda and anti-India sentiment,” he wrote, adding, “If the presence of such anti-national messaging and deranged psychotic drawings is verified, immediate steps must be taken to remove the graffiti, fix accountability and initiate strict administrative and legal action against those responsible.”
The Chief Minister directed the JU vice-chancellor, the principal secretary of the higher education department and other competent authorities to conduct an on-ground physical verification of the hostel area to ascertain the existence of the graffiti. If found, the authorities should identify the individuals involved and proceed accordingly. He said the state government follows a zero-tolerance policy towards anti-national activities anywhere, especially in educational campuses. “West Bengal’s educational institutions must remain centres of merit and discipline, not grounds for divisive rhetoric and unsocial activities,” he added.
Along with the post, Mr. Adhikari shared a video recording some of the graffiti. The visuals reportedly included a Palestinian flag with a demand to free the country, a Nazi swastika with the message “Break fascists with red”, and a slogan that read: “Fascists do not deserve democracy, they deserve a bullet in the head.” There were also references to the Naxalbari movement and praise for leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist).
Earlier in the day, Mr. Adhikari said that slogans and activities glorifying slain Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao, better known as ‘Kishenji’, would not be allowed on the JU campus. “We have all the documents. Action will be taken,” he told reporters at the state secretariat.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to visit the JU campus on Friday and sing Vande Mataram with students to “instil the spirit of nationalism”, according to officials from the ABVP.
The developments come amid clashes between ABVP and Left-leaning students. At around 2 a.m. on Thursday, ABVP supporters armed with sticks entered the university campus, tore down and set fire to posters of Left student unions, alleging that their supporters had been assaulted by members of the Left unions over a general body meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU). Later that day, both groups held rallies inside and outside the campus, and police put up barricades to prevent rival factions from clashing.
The university has witnessed recurring political tensions between student groups in recent years. The university’s emblem at one of the gates was also damaged during the clashes. At least four first information reports have been lodged at the local police station in connection with the incidents, with police stating that the FIRs have been exchanged between members of both groups.
