Students from Left unions at Jadavpur University (JU) repainted political graffiti on campus on Monday. This action came just a day after university authorities covered the walls with white paint. The repainting followed an announcement by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who stated that his government would not permit JU to remain a haven for Maoist sympathisers.
“Members of the CPI(M)’s student front did not hold any demonstration on Monday. Instead, its members picked up cans of aerosol paint and brushes. The damage to the logo, which was designed by iconic painter Nandalal Bose, who drew the sketches for the first copy of the Indian Constitution, drew flak from the civil society.
The Students Federation of India (SFI) Jadavpur unit announced its “Reclaim Your Wall” programme in a social media post on Sunday evening, hours after a contractor deployed by the university’s maintenance department painted over the old graffiti . Members of the other Left student unions also took part,” a JU professor said, requesting anonymity. State finance minister Swapan Dasgupta said in a video statement that the incident was uncalled for.
On Friday, CM Adhikari addressed a large crowd outside the JU campus while attending a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-held mass singing of the national song, Vande Mataram on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. “I know the disease. No political party made a statement after the graffiti returned to the JU campus.
“You don’t express grief or hold rallies when 45 CRPF jawans are killed by terrorists in Awantipora and tourists belonging to a specific religion are gunned down at Pahalgam.
But anti-war rallies are held when Operation Sindoor is carried out against Pakistan,” Adhikari said at the rally. I also know the medicine,” he said.
