2 days ago
Jadavpur University Graffiti War Deepens State-Campus Political Divide
Students at Jadavpur University use campus walls to share political and social messages.
The state government said some writings were unacceptable and asked the university to remove them.
The university then painted over several slogans.
Left-wing student groups said this unfairly silenced them and promised to repaint the walls.
ABVP supported removing some graffiti but said more offensive writing remained.
Other students and a professor argued that some artwork discusses important issues such as Palestine, women and menstrual health.
The university administration has not clearly said whether it will erase the new paintings.
The disagreement has turned the campus walls into a larger fight about free expression and government control.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari demanded the removal of graffiti honoring Kishenji and supporting Palestine.
Jadavpur University whitewashed several disputed slogans after pressure from the state government.
Left-leaning student groups, including SFI, vowed to repaint the walls with resistance messages.
ABVP welcomed the whitewashing but said Maoist-related, obscene and vulgar graffiti remained.
The dispute also involves a menstrual-health mural and a painting of a kissing couple, raising questions about censorship and obscenity.
- Who
- The West Bengal state government, Suvendu Adhikari, Jadavpur University authorities, SFI, ABVP and other student groups.
- What
- A dispute over the removal and planned repainting of political, social and artistic graffiti on the university campus.
- Where
- Jadavpur University campus.
- When
- Adhikari objected to graffiti on August 24 and Friday; the university whitewashed slogans by Saturday, with repainting planned for Monday and Tuesday. SFI markings included the date 28.02.2027.
- Why
- The state government and ABVP objected to graffiti they described as anti-national, Maoist-related, obscene or vulgar, while student groups defended the walls as spaces for dissent and social expression.
Student Groups and Free-Expression Supporters
State Government, ABVP and Campus Authorities
Political graffiti
Student Groups and Free-Expression Supporters
Left student groups argue that slogans supporting Palestine and opposing fascism are political expression, not evidence of anti-national activity.
State Government, ABVP and Campus Authorities
The state government and ABVP describe selected slogans as anti-national or supportive of Maoist violence and say they should not remain on campus walls.
Government intervention
Student Groups and Free-Expression Supporters
Student groups say official labeling and whitewashing of dissenting messages represent suppression and an undeclared emergency.
State Government, ABVP and Campus Authorities
State authorities say intervention is justified to remove messages they associate with violence, insurgency or national disloyalty.
Obscenity and social artwork
Student Groups and Free-Expression Supporters
Students and a senior professor argue that menstrual-health messages and some artwork carry genuine social value, and that objections to intimacy or women’s health are inconsistent or anti-woman.
State Government, ABVP and Campus Authorities
ABVP says some remaining graffiti is obscene or vulgar and has no place in an educational institution, while claiming to support creative expression within limits.
Key facts
- University
- Jadavpur University
- State intervention
- Suvendu Adhikari demanded removal of selected graffiti, and Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay supported the move.
- Whitewashing
- The university painted over several contested slogans by Saturday.
- Student response
- SFI and other Left-leaning groups said they would reclaim and repaint the walls.
- Contested themes
- The dispute includes support for Palestine, praise for Maoist figures, anti-fascist slogans, menstrual-health messaging and artwork depicting intimacy.
- Other organization involved
- ABVP welcomed the whitewashing but said additional graffiti remained.
Sources
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