JU remains tense after five days of violent clash; Left backed students’ wings demand ex-VC’s suspension

Five days after a violent clash between supporters of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student unions at Jadavpur University, tension persisted on Monday, August 24, 2026. Both groups organized rallies and demanded actions from university authorities. Left-affiliated student wings, including SFI and DSF, staged a sit-in protest in front of the vice chancellor's office, demanding the suspension of former vice chancellor Buddhadeb Sau and a Mathematics professor.

The demand followed the viral circulation of a CCTV footage showing Sau allowing ABVP and BJP leaders to enter the campus on the night of the incident.

The footage, which included Sau speaking to security guards at gate number 4, led to accusations that he provoked the mob and allowed outsiders entry. The students also demanded the inclusion of a student representative in the independent inquiry panel formed to investigate the incident and expressed frustration over the lack of arrests.

ABVP and ABRSM called a separate rally, where Sau alleged that registrar Selim Box Mandal leaked confidential information to outsiders, causing unrest. ABVP leader Nikhil Das questioned the leak of CCTV footage before police access.

On August 20, ABVP supporters, armed with lathis and sticks, entered the campus, destroying Left student union posters, alleging assaults by Left students. Four FIRs were lodged by the police, with Mukherjee filing an FIR against Left students for assaulting ABVP students, and the university also lodging an FIR over the vandalism.

SFI, ABVP, and other factions lodged cross-FIRs against each other. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the incident, stating that JU students were her friends, despite differences of opinion.