2 hrs ago
Chittaprosad Portrait Erased Amid Jadavpur University Political Clash
A painting of the artist Chittaprosad on a university wall was covered with white paint.
This happened after a fight between different student groups at Jadavpur University.
Some people said the painting was removed because Chittaprosad represented compassion, equality and resistance to injustice.
They were upset because he had drawn powerful pictures of people suffering during the Bengal Famine.
The university vice-chancellor said he did not know why the painting was erased.
A BJP spokesperson said the wall had other slogans that the party considered anti-national and separatist.
Students responded by putting more writing back on the walls.
The incident has become part of a larger political argument about control of the university.
A portrait of artist Chittaprosad was whitewashed at Jadavpur University during a midnight wall-cleaning drive.
The erasure followed campus clashes on August 20 involving Left-leaning groups and alleged ABVP supporters.
Critics condemned the removal, citing Chittaprosad’s famine drawings, humanism and opposition to caste discrimination.
The university vice-chancellor said he did not know why the portrait had been erased.
The BJP said the portrait should not have been displayed beside walls carrying allegedly anti-national and separatist slogans.
- Who
- Jadavpur University authorities, students, Left-leaning groups, alleged ABVP supporters, BJP representatives and critics of the whitewash.
- What
- A 2022 portrait of artist Chittaprosad was erased during a midnight whitewash drive after campus clashes.
- Where
- Jadavpur University in Bengal.
- When
- The campus face-off occurred on August 20; the portrait had been drawn in 2022.
- Why
- The vice-chancellor said he did not know why the portrait was erased; a BJP spokesperson said it should not have been beside allegedly anti-national and separatist slogans.
Critics and Left-Leaning Voices
BJP Position
Meaning of the portrait’s removal
Critics and Left-Leaning Voices
Critics said whitewashing Chittaprosad’s portrait symbolized hostility toward compassion, equality, resistance and criticism of injustice.
BJP Position
The BJP spokesperson said the portrait did not belong beside walls carrying allegedly anti-national and separatist slogans.
Political significance
Critics and Left-Leaning Voices
Critics connected the erasure to a broader Right-wing challenge to a remaining Left bastion and argued that Chittaprosad’s anti-caste politics made him unacceptable to such forces.
BJP Position
The BJP rejected the description of itself as Right-wing, calling itself nationalist and pointing to Narendra Modi’s background as evidence that it opposed casteism.
Responsibility for the whitewash
Critics and Left-Leaning Voices
Critics said the civic body, police and university administration should explain why the portrait was erased.
BJP Position
The university’s vice-chancellor said he did not know why it was removed, while the report described the workers involved as ordinary workers who may not have known Chittaprosad.
Key facts
- Artist depicted
- Chittaprosad (1915–1978)
- Portrait date
- The wall portrait was created in 2022.
- Famine record
- Chittaprosad documented the 1943 Bengal Famine through drawings, reportage and sketches.
- Famine publication
- His work was published in People’s War and compiled in Hungry Bengal.
- Campus incident
- A face-off on August 20 allegedly involved ABVP supporters and Left-leaning student groups.
- Other artwork affected
- Jadavpur University’s emblem, designed by Nandalal Bose, was allegedly defaced during the August 20 confrontation.
- University response
- Vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee said he was not present when the portrait was erased and did not know why it happened.
Quotes
Chiranjib Bhattacharjee
Vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University
“Imagine being so scared of love that you have to whitewash a wall that speaks of love and compassion, belonging and resistance.… It is people like Chittaprosad who have taught us that you should not remain silent when there is injustice all around… You can try and poison our minds with mindless hatred. But we will continue talking about love, compassion and resistance,”
telegraphindia.com
“An artist who did not care for institutional rewards in his lifetime was recognised by the world decades after his death. A paint job to cover his face does not erase history.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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