Jadavpur University logo damaged in Kolkata campus after ABVP, Left student wings clash

A wooden emblem emblazoned on a gate at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University was damaged Thursday afternoon when members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly attempted to enter the campus following a clash the previous night between ABVP supporters and supporters of Left student unions, according to university professors.

ABVP members marched from Gariahat Road in an effort to reach the university, while Left student union members assembled at the 8B bus stand. Upon entering, the emblem's outer ring, featuring a lotus motif, detached from its frame due to the weight of the intruders, a professor said, declining to be named. The JUTA president, Partha Pratim Roy, convened an emergency meeting the same day, urging the university administration to file a police complaint promptly.

The acting registrar, Selim Box Mandal, cautioned against premature actions, suggesting a thorough investigation first. Both ABVP and Left supporters accused each other of burning flags, banners, and damaging campus property during a night of unrest between Wednesday and Thursday. ABVP claimed two of its members, Vikram Das and Diptiman Kar, were assaulted on Wednesday night when they asserted no union had the authority to convene a general body meeting, as there was no elected body in place at JU.

ABVP central committee member Subhabrata Adhikari declared, "As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, we will drive out all dimagi naxals from the JU campus. The fight against the Left and Naxalites at JU started today." The SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), accused ABVP of bringing outsiders to incite the violence. AIDSO echoed the same allegation.

Srijan Bhattacharya, general secretary of the SFI Bengal unit, stated, "The trouble started on Wednesday night when a few ABVP members gate crashed a meeting of engineering faculty students without any provocation. The local BJP MLA and her goons attacked the students and vandalised the campus in an unprecedented manner. Today also the AVBP goons destroyed the historic emblem of the university designed by Nandalal Bose while trying to enter the campus forcefully."

Police officers reported no arrests as of Thursday night, stating the university had initially tried to contact the Jadavpur police station on Wednesday night but encountered connectivity issues. Police were deployed to secure the perimeter after the university called emergency services. The university authorities did not enter the campus.

Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya clarified that ABVP is not a constituent of the BJP, emphasizing that the party neither participates in JU affairs nor governs the institution. Some BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Rahul Sinha and BJP’s Jadavpur MLA Sarbori Mukherjee, endorsed ABVP's stance, labeling the university as a "den of naxalites."

Sinha argued, "Sometimes outsiders are required to rid the campus of Naxalites. If needed, outsiders will enter the JU campus. We will drive out all the Naxalites," while Mukherjee vowed, "If those who assaulted the ABVP members do not surrender at the Jadavpur police station, we will hunt them down. JU can no longer be a den of urban Naxals."

BJP leaders' rhetoric suggested a willingness to employ forceful measures to expel perceived Left-leaning elements from the university.