Political graffiti painted by Jadavpur University (JU) students on walls were covered with white paint on Saturday after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said that his government will not allow the university to remain a free ground for Maoist and Palestine sympathisers and elements seeking Kashmir’s independence.
The authorities don’t want the university to be drawn into a controversy. “You keep saying azaadi (independence). What azaadi are you looking for? Azaadi to consume heroine and ganja? State sports and youth services minister Dr Indranil Khan, an oncologist, welcomed the move by JU. “JU is widely acknowledged as a centre of excellence.
“You don’t express grief or hold rallies when 45 CRPF jawans are killed by terrorists in Awantipora and tourists belonging to a specific religion are gunned down at Pahalgam.
But anti-war rallies are held when Operation Sindoor is carried out against Pakistan,” Adhikari said, adding that being a centre of excellence JU demanded honour. You are the tukre tukre gang,” Adhikari said. The campus should be free from radical politics,” he said.
“A contractor hired by the university’s maintenance department covered most of the graffiti with white paint on Saturday morning. None of the student unions have protested so far,” a professor said on Sunday, requesting anonymity.
CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a former Kolkata mayor, criticised the move saying campuses encourage free thinking. “Campuses are where young people are encouraged to think freely and exchange ideas.
No whitewashing can stop that,” Bhattacharya said.
