1 week ago
Teachers Say Repeated Jadavpur University Attacks Reflect Ideological Poverty
Teachers at Jadavpur University said recent violence on campus was carefully organized.
They blamed the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or ABVP, for the attacks.
The teachers said people entered the campus at night, including outsiders.
They also said gates were damaged and fires were used to frighten students.
In their view, the goal was to stop students from criticizing powerful people.
They argued that disagreements at a university should be settled through discussion and reasoning.
The university emblem made by artist Nandalal Bose was also damaged.
University officials were working to repair and reinstall it.
Jadavpur University teachers described the back-to-back attacks as planned violence rather than spontaneous student clashes.
Several teachers alleged that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS’s student wing, sought to impose control over the campus.
They said the attacks were intended to silence dissent and punish students who question those in power.
Teachers criticized the use of force, gate-breaking and alleged intimidation inside Aurobindo Bhavan instead of debate and discussion.
The university emblem designed by Nandalal Bose was damaged during an ABVP rally, with repair and reinstallation work underway.
- Who
- Jadavpur University teachers, students and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad were involved in the events described.
- What
- Back-to-back attacks and violence occurred at Jadavpur University, which teachers characterized as an organized attempt to suppress dissent.
- Where
- Jadavpur University, including its gates and Aurobindo Bhavan, in Kolkata.
- When
- The attacks occurred before the teachers’ comments; an ABVP rally took place on Thursday, and repair work was shown on Friday.
- Why
- Teachers alleged that the violence was intended to intimidate students, curb opposition and impose control over the campus.
Key facts
- Institution
- Jadavpur University
- Group accused by teachers
- Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
- Nature of violence
- Teachers described it as planned and politically influenced rather than an ordinary student altercation.
- Damaged site
- The university emblem designed by Nandalal Bose was damaged during an ABVP rally.
- Additional alleged intimidation
- Teachers said attackers torched items in the portico of Aurobindo Bhavan while students were inside.
- Repair status
- Repair and reinstallation of the emblem were underway in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor and senior officials.
- Reported political influence
- A former professor said he heard that a local MLA incited people around midnight, but the article did not identify the MLA.
Quotes
Abhijit Gupta
Professor of English at Jadavpur University
“Students often squabble on campus. It happens all the time. It appears that, this time, a fight among students was accentuated and amplified because of political interference.”
telegraphindia.com
“The battle for the hearts and minds of students should be won through reason and informed debate, not thuggery.”
telegraphindia.com










