JU political graffiti whitewashed after CM Adhikari’s remarks on campus politics

CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a former Kolkata mayor, criticised the move saying campuses encourage free thinking

Political graffiti painted by Jadavpur University (JU) students on walls were covered with white paint on Saturday after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said that his government will not allow the university to remain a free ground for Maoist and Palestine sympathisers and elements seeking Kashmir’s independence.

An old graffiti on the walls of the open air theatre that read, “Fascists do not deserve democracy. They deserve a bullet in the head,” was also covered with white paint. (HT Photo)

“A contractor hired by the university’s maintenance department covered most of the graffiti with white paint on Saturday morning. The authorities don’t want the university to be drawn into a controversy. None of the student unions have protested so far,” a professor said on Sunday, requesting anonymity.

Among the graffiti painted over was a figure of Charlie Chaplin above a slogan: “Fascism is not to be debated. It is to be smashed.”

Graffiti expressing solidarity with the Palestine movement and those condemning Nazis were also painted over along with the ones that mentioned “Azaadi” (independence).

An old graffiti on the walls of the open air theatre that read, “Fascists do not deserve democracy. They deserve a bullet in the head,” was also covered with white paint. Another art that was whitewashed was a portrait of American civil rights activist Audre Lorde.

On Friday, Adhikari addressed a large crowd that gathered outside the JU campus to attend a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-held mass singing of the national song Vande Mataram on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

“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, adding that being a centre of excellence JU demanded honour.

“You keep saying azaadi (independence). What azaadi are you looking for? Azaadi to consume heroine and ganja? You are the tukre tukre gang,” Adhikari said.

“I know the disease. I also know the medicine,” he added.

The term ‘tukre tukre gang’ was coined by the BJP to bracket members of certain Left and ultra-Left parties and intellectuals.

State sports and youth services minister Dr Indranil Khan, an oncologist, welcomed the move by JU. “JU is widely acknowledged as a centre of excellence. The campus should be free from radical politics,” he said.

CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a former Kolkata mayor, criticised the move saying campuses encourage free thinking. “Campuses are where young people are encouraged to think freely and exchange ideas. No whitewashing can stop that,” Bhattacharya said.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) Jadavpur unit announced via a social media leaflet on Sunday evening that it would hold a protest on Monday. The CPI(M)’s student front named the protest “Reclaim Your Wall” and used the hashtag “paint your resistance.”