Jadavpur University VC calls for restraint on campus graffiti, asks students to use social media

Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya has called for restraint on wall writings on the campus, appealing to students to express their views on social media. Bhattacharya said students and teachers should preserve the institution's long-standing tradition of free thought and expression, while keeping the campus clean and peaceful. The VC, in an open letter, said his suggestions were not aimed at curbing freedom of expression but at safeguarding the university's heritage and environment. Bhattacharya's comments come days after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari directed that alleged anti-national slogans be removed from the Jadavpur University campus, prompting varsity authorities to whitewash controversial graffiti on walls.

However, freshly painted graffiti has emerged again on campus walls. "Jadavpur University has a long tradition of free thought and expression. We must preserve this heritage while ensuring that the campus remains clean, peaceful and aesthetically pleasing," he said in the open letter. When contacted, Bhattacharya told PTI that students should be encouraged to express their views more on social media instead of painting graffiti on university walls. He said there should be a balance between democratic expression and the need to maintain the varsity's physical environment and academic atmosphere.

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The chief minister had last week criticised wall writings at the university's Arts Faculty, questioning the presence of slogans such as 'Red salute to Kishenji' and 'Kashmir wants freedom' on the campus. Kishenji was a top Maoist leader who was killed by the police in 2011, months after the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal. Adhikari had described such slogans as objectionable and likened them to "garbage", arguing that such a culture had no place in a "centre of excellence" such as Jadavpur University.