West Bengal CM withdraws ‘Azadi’ slogans in Jadavpur.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Jadavpur for a public recital of the national song Vande Mataram where thousands of people joined the Chief Minister. File. | Photo credit: ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday (August 28, 2026) attended an event near the Jadavpur University campus where he criticized a section of students raising Azad slogans and vowed to revive the spirit of nationalism in the campus.

Mr. Adhikari visited Jadavpur for a public recital of the national song Vande Mataram in which thousands of people joined the Chief Minister.

“What freedom do you want? Freedom to consume heroin, ganja and drugs? Freedom for the tukde-tukde gang?” said the Chief Minister, flaying Azadi (freedom) slogans raised by a section of students.

“What kind of Azadi do you want? ‘Kashmir Mange Azadi’,” asked Mr. Adhikari. According to the Chief Minister, during Operation Sindoor, the university students were participating in the rally not for the benefit of the country but to stop the war. “First write Free Pak Occupied Kashmir. It is ours and must be returned!” he said.

The Chief Minister’s visit comes within 10 days after Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters and Left student unions clashed at the Jadavpur campus on August 19. The university has set up a commission of inquiry and several FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident.

An almost 1 km long ramp was built for the program. Traffic on Raja Subodh Chandra Mallick Road was suspended between 1pm and 6pm while four gates of Jadavpur University remained closed.

Strong warning

The chief minister issued a stern warning to the students, whom he described as “ill-mannered”, saying “Either they stay or we stay. There will be nothing in between”. The chief minister mentioned Nandigram and Jangalmahal and claimed to have liberated these areas from communists and Maoists.

Describing himself as someone who can clean up “trash”, Mr Adhikari said: “I know the ailment and also the cure”. He also attacked the Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) saying that students cannot hide behind the association. He recalled an earlier incident at the university during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition where a student died due to ragging. The chief minister said that some people jumped on his vehicle then and when asked, he replied, “We are Maoists. We have come to tell you to go back.”

A few days ago, the Chief Minister ordered an immediate inquiry into the alleged “anti-national” graffiti and posters reported at the boys’ hostel of the university’s art department.

Published – 29 Aug 2026 01:46 IST