No arrests have been made yet in connection with the Jadavpur University (JU) vandalism case that took place on Wednesday night. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students were reportedly seen barging into the campus, defacing wall graffiti associated with the Left-wing Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and burning flags.
The ABVP, however, has questioned the presence of other students on campus at around 1 am on the intervening night of August 19 and 20, when its supporters entered the university. It has also questioned how CCTV footage from the campus was allegedly leaked to outsiders.
“The registrar is unable to handle the situation. We want his resignation. The CCTV footage is under the registrar’s purview. How did it get leaked to the media?” questioned Nikhil Das, unit president, JU.
On being asked why SFI flags were burnt, Das said ABVP flags had also been burnt on several occasions. He demanded police picketing on campus, citing a 2025 Calcutta High Court order, as well as 100 per cent CCTV coverage across the university.
The ABVP also alleged that the Vice-Chancellor did not reach out to students injured in the attack. Das was among six ABVP students who were reportedly injured.
Das denied allegations that the ABVP had instigated the violence. He said a general body meeting had been called by engineering students and that ABVP members were beaten after they raised questions that were unanswered.
Following the incident, ABVP supporters held a protest rally. SFI and other Left Front student organisations also staged a protest, demanding freedom from ABVP presence on campus and opposed the presence of police on campus. They even called for appropriate action against those identified in the CCTV footage.
“We are demanding that the police and authorities arrest them and take appropriate action against them. A case has been lodged. We are demanding that the authorities debar them (ABVP) from the campus until the investigation is over,” said Abhinaba Basu, local committee secretary, SFI, JU.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the attack by ABVP students and said she always stands by JU students, despite having differences of opinion in the past. “You went and created mayhem in Jadavpur University. It is number one in India. I may have had differences of opinion with them(JU), but have stood by them,” said Mamata Banerjee.
She also condemned the alleged defacement of the JU emblem on the university’s main gate, designed by Nandalal Bose in 1955. Bose was one of the pioneers of modern art.
“You (ABVP) attacked Presidency University too. You want to replace all student unions with yours,” Banerjee said, referring to her support for student movements like the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the police investigation into the JU incident is ongoing, and the internal probe panel is still mulling its options after Subha Shankar Sarkar, a retired academician who was heading the probe panel into the Jadavpur University(JU) vandalism case on Saturday informed the Vice Chancellor on being unable to lead the enquiry committee, citing personal reasons.
