2 days ago
Left Students Repaint Jadavpur University Walls After Whitewash
Jadavpur University workers painted over some political messages on campus walls.
Left-wing student groups then painted new messages and said they would restore more.
The SFI called its campaign “Reclaim the Wall.”
It wrote its name and a date on several walls.
Students also painted words supporting resistance and planned to repaint “Free Palestine” and a Palestinian flag.
Another group planned to restore slogans criticizing fascism.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said some of the messages were unacceptable.
The vice chancellor said the campus should stay clean and did not support the repeated writing and erasing.
Left student groups repainted political messages at Jadavpur University after authorities whitewashed selected graffiti.
The SFI marked walls with its name and “28.02.2027” during its “Reclaim the Wall” campaign.
Students painted or planned to restore “Free Palestine,” a Palestinian flag, resistance slogans and a Karl Marx quote.
The RSF vowed to repaint messages opposing fascism, while some earlier slogans were not restored.
Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee opposed the writing-and-erasing cycle, while Suvendu Adhikari called several slogans objectionable.
- Who
- The SFI, the Revolutionary Students’ Front, other Left student groups, Jadavpur University authorities, Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
- What
- Left student groups repainted or pledged to repaint political graffiti that university authorities had whitewashed.
- Where
- Jadavpur University in Kolkata, including Meghnad Saha Bhavan and the open-air theatre.
- When
- The authorities whitewashed the walls on Saturday, and students began reclaiming them on Sunday; some further repainting was planned for Monday.
- Why
- The student groups said the walls were a space for political expression and dissent, while Adhikari objected to several slogans and university authorities cited cleanliness and potentially hurt sentiments.
Left Student Groups
University Authorities and Government Critics
Political expression
Left Student Groups
Student groups described the walls as a democratic space and said messages about Palestine, resistance and opposition to fascism expressed dissent.
University Authorities and Government Critics
Adhikari described several writings as objectionable and said such political graffiti had no place at a centre of excellence.
Whitewashing
Left Student Groups
The SFI and RSF said removing the graffiti attempted to silence dissent and vowed to reclaim the walls.
University Authorities and Government Critics
University authorities removed selected graffiti, while the vice chancellor said the campus should remain clean and opposed the recurring writing-and-erasing cycle.
Campus conflict
Left Student Groups
SFI and RSF members linked the campaign to resistance against what they called a government-backed or saffron takeover of the campus.
University Authorities and Government Critics
The ABVP described the graffiti as the work of “Urban Naxals” and said it was fighting them; the controversy followed clashes between ABVP and Left student groups.
Key facts
- Campaign
- The SFI called its effort “Reclaim the Wall” and released a poster reading “Take Back Your Walls”.
- Wall marking
- The SFI wrote its name and “28.02.2027” on several campus walls as the date until which it claimed them.
- Repainted messages
- Reports said students painted “Long Live the Resistance,” “Free Palestine,” a Palestinian flag, and a Karl Marx quote; some additional slogans were planned.
- Whitewashing
- Two university staff members and two daily-wage labourers spent nearly six hours whitewashing walls across several campus buildings.
- Locations
- The affected areas included Meghnad Saha Bhavan, the open-air theatre, Aurobindo Bhavan, engineering departments, the central library and other buildings.
- University response
- Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee said he opposed the writing-and-erasing cycle and that only graffiti considered capable of hurting sentiments had been removed.
- Political criticism
- Suvendu Adhikari objected to slogans about Kishenji, Palestine, Kashmir and fascism, and urged appropriate action.
Quotes
Chiranjib Bhattacharjee
Vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University
“Those who are doing this, I have a question. In these 20-30 years of social media, how important are these wall graffiti? I do not support this writing and wiping cycle. We should keep the campus clean. We have not wiped off all the wall graffiti but only those which can hurt the sentiments of others.”
indianexpress.com
“However, as part of our ‘Reclaim the Wall’ drive, on Sunday we wrote the organisation’s name and mentioned the date 28.02.2027, indicating that the wall has been reclaimed. We will again paint ‘Free Palestine’ on Monday”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
Left unions to reclaim JU walls, students vow to repaint graffiti erased by varsity authorities
Whitewashed walls at Jadavpur University reclaim their voice with political graffiti - Telegraph India
A day after whitewash, Left student bodies repaint Jadavpur University walls with political graffiti in Kolkata
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