Jadavpur University: Minister Warns of 'Surgical Strikes' Amid Campus Unrest
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Friday (August 21, 2026) said that further "surgical strikes" could be carried out at Jadavpur University if anti-national slogans were raised on campus. Mr. Ghosh, who holds the Panchayat and Rural Development portfolio, made the remark a day after supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and left-backed student unions, including the Students Federation of India (SFI), clashed on the university grounds.
"The Trinamool had allowed them to perpetuate. Our people had carried out surgical strikes there. The SFI office was demolished. If anti-national movements are seen there again or slogans are raised, there will be surgical strikes again," Mr. Ghosh said. He also stated that "change has happened" in West Bengal, referring to the BJP's rise to power, and added, "Everything will happen. Wait for six months."
The face-off on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) reportedly involved ABVP supporters forcing their way into the campus. Clashes were reported inside the university premises. A student has registered an FIR at the Jadavpur police station, but as of Friday morning the university authorities had not filed a formal complaint regarding the alleged trespassing. The authorities said an inquiry would be conducted into the events that led to the violence.
Earlier, Jadavpur BJP MLA Sarbari Mukherjee had said she would not allow "Naxals, Maoists and anti-national forces to perpetuate in the university." Teachers and students have called for a gathering on campus on Friday, August 21, to respond to the situation.
CPI(M) state secretary Md. Salim linked the violence to the Prime Minister's recent remark calling a section of people "dimagi naxal" (ideological Naxals). "A war has been declared on the students, teachers and others who are in support of education. Attempts were made to start a fire at Aurobindo Bhawan so that bhoy (fear) could be instilled among the people," Mr. Salim said on Thursday.
The Trinamool Congress faction led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also criticised the ABVP supporters for forcing their way into the campus.
Jadavpur University, one of India's leading educational institutions, has frequently been the site of ideological clashes between student groups. The ABVP is the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the SFI is affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The latest confrontation has drawn sharp reactions from political leaders, with the university administration announcing an inquiry into the incident.
