Jadavpur University VC calls for checking wall graffiti and asks students to air views on social media

Whitewashing graffiti at Jadavapur University. File | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya has called for restraint on graffiti on campus and urged students to express their views on social media.

Mr. Bhattacharya said students and faculty should maintain the institution’s long-standing tradition of free thought and expression while keeping the campus clean and peaceful.

The VC said in an open letter that his proposals are not aimed at curtailing freedom of expression but at protecting the university’s heritage and environment.

Mr Bhattacharya’s comments come just days after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered the removal of alleged anti-national slogans from the Jadavpur University campus, prompting university authorities to whitewash controversial graffiti on the walls. However, freshly painted graffiti appeared again on the walls of the campus.

“Jadavpur University has a long tradition of free thought and expression. We must preserve this legacy while ensuring that the campus remains clean, peaceful and aesthetically pleasing,” he said in an open letter.

When contacted, Mr. 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 preserve the university’s physical environment and academic atmosphere.

The chief minister had last week criticized the wall inscriptions at the university’s Faculty of Arts, questioning the presence of slogans like “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 Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal.

Describing such slogans as objectionable, Mr. Adhikari likened them to “garbage” and argued that such a culture had no place in a “centre of excellence” like Jadavpur University.

Published – 02 Sep 2026 13:22 IST