Kolkata, August 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A senior police officer visited Jadavpur University on Tuesday to investigate allegations of objectionable and anti-national wall graffiti on the campus and recent clashes between rival student groups, a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari directed the university authorities to look into the matter.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manoj Kumar Jha met university Registrar Selim Box Mandal and discussed the graffiti as well as clashes involving the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-affiliated student organisations.
Police had earlier sought CCTV footage from the university in connection with incidents reported on August 19 and 20. Jha and Mandal discussed the procedure for collecting the footage during their nearly 45-minute meeting.
Mandal said some matters discussed with the police were confidential and could not be disclosed, but confirmed that the process of providing the requested CCTV footage had begun. He said Vice-Chancellor was unwell and therefore he represented the university during the meeting.
State Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chatterjee condemned the incidents and appealed to students, teachers and researchers to maintain peace on the campus. He said Jadavpur University should preserve its reputation as a centre of education and academic excellence and urged that “petty troubles” should not damage its global standing.
Clashes broke out on August 19 and 20 between activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and ABVP outside the university in south Kolkata.
The first confrontation took place at the 8B Bus Stand crossing between SFI activists and security personnel, while the second occurred near the university’s main gate between SFI and ABVP activists.
During the second clash, the engraved emblem of Jadavpur University, designed by painter Nandalal Bose, was damaged. The emblem was repaired and reinstalled at Gate No. 4 on August 21.
The university has constituted an inquiry committee headed by former Justice Pranab Kumar Chatterjee to investigate the August 19 and 20 clashes. The committee will hold its first meeting on August 27.
On Monday, Adhikari posted a video on X showing the alleged graffiti and said educational institutions were sacred spaces dedicated to learning and nation-building. He said campus premises should not be used to spread propaganda or anti-India sentiment.
The Chief Minister’s Office said it had received videos and photographs from students through its grievance cell showing objectionable graffiti inside the Arts Division Boys Hostel.
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