Presidency University expels student, bars ex-student from campus for ‘defacing’ ABVP poster on campus

Presidency University has expelled a final-year post-graduate student and barred a former sociology department student from the campus for allegedly defacing an ABVP poster, following a lecture by senior RSS functionary Jishnu Basu. The incident, which occurred on October 14, involved the defacement of an ABVP poster featuring an image of Swami Vivekananda on a campus wall.

A five-member committee was formed to investigate the matter and confirmed the involvement of both students. The university's Registrar, Debjyoti Konar, stated that the institution supports academic discussion and debate but will not tolerate disrespectful actions towards thinkers, ideologies, or organizations. ABVP's Presidency University unit president, Mridul Banik, accused Left-wing student organizations of inciting the students to deface the poster, while the SFI denied any involvement.

Ushasree Mitra, secretary of the SFI unit, criticized the university's decision to expel the students, emphasizing the need for a more sensitive approach and questioning the appropriateness of using images of B R Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, and Swami Vivekananda on ABVP posters.