Jadavpur University V-C calls for check on wall graffiti, asks students to air views on social media

Jadavpur University's Vice-Chancellor, Chiranjib Bhattacharya, has urged students and faculty to refrain from painting graffiti on campus walls, instead encouraging them to voice their opinions on social media. Bhattacharya emphasized the importance of preserving the university's rich tradition of free thought and expression, while maintaining a clean and peaceful environment.

In his open letter, he clarified that his suggestions were not intended to restrict freedom of expression, but rather to protect the university's heritage and surroundings. The call for restraint comes in the wake of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's directive to remove alleged anti-national slogans from the campus, leading to the whitewashing of controversial graffiti.

However, new graffiti has since resurfaced on the walls. Bhattacharya, in response to inquiries, suggested that students should take to social media platforms to express their views, maintaining a balance between democratic expression and preserving the academic atmosphere. The Chief Minister had previously criticized graffiti at the university's Arts Faculty, specifically targeting slogans like 'Red salute to Kishenji' and 'Kashmir wants freedom', with Kishenji being a prominent Maoist leader executed by the police in 2011, shortly after the Trinamool Congress-led government took office in West Bengal.