CM Suvendu Warns Jadavpur Students Over ‘Azaadi’ Slogans, Says ‘I Know the Disease and Medicine’

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday launched a sharp attack on students at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University, warning that his government would not allow.

The campus to become a hub for Maoist sympathisers, pro-Palestine supporters or those backing calls for Kashmir’s independence.

Adhikari made the remarks outside the university campus, where a large crowd had gathered for a Bharatiya Janata Party-organised mass signing of Vande Mataram on Raksha Bandhan.

“You keep saying azaadi. What azaadi are you looking for? Azaadi to consume heroine and ganja? You are the tukre tukre gang,” he said.

Jadavpur University was closed on Friday due to the state-declared Raksha Bandhan holiday, with all six gates locked when the BJP event was held.

ADHIKARI QUESTIONS STUDENTS’ PROTESTS

Adhikari also criticised students for what he described as selective protests over military operations and terrorist attacks.

“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,” he said.

He said Jadavpur University, as a reputed centre of academic excellence, deserved to be treated with respect.

The Chief Minister’s comments came days after a confrontation on the campus on August 20, during which a wooden emblem installed at one of the university gates was damaged.

According to university professors, the emblem was damaged after members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly attempted to enter the campus following a clash involving ABVP members and Left-backed student groups the previous night.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) alleged that ABVP members had brought outsiders onto the campus to carry out violence. The university subsequently filed a police complaint, although no arrests have been reported.

“I know the disease. I also know the medicine,” Adhikari said while referring to the campus situation.

‘JADAVPUR IS LEFT’

Adhikari invoked Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Hyderabad’s Osmania University while addressing ABVP workers across the country.

“I have a message for ABVP workers across India. You have cured Delhi’s JNU and Hyderabad’s Osmania University. Jadavpur is left. This, too, will be done. A storm of nationalism has started. It is unstoppable,” he said.

He also referred to Maoist commander Koteswar Rao, popularly known as Kishenji, who operated in western Bengal during the Left Front government and was killed in a police operation after Mamata Banerjee came to power.

Adhikari criticised slogans supporting Kashmir’s independence and called for the replacement of “Free Palestine” slogans with “Free PoK” slogans. He also referred to a poster allegedly displayed at an arts department hostel that read “Red Salute Kishenji”.

ABVP TARGETS TEACHERS’ BODY

Following the August 20 incident, the ABVP accused senior office-bearers of the Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) of being involved in the alleged damage to the university emblem and filed a police complaint.

Adhikari said the state higher education department was monitoring the situation and warned that further action could follow.

“The state higher education department is watching. I am also watching,” he said, adding that drones could be deployed to investigate alleged drug-related activity on campus.

The Chief Minister also accused the CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress of allegedly protecting Maoist elements at Jadavpur University for political gain.

According to Adhikari, Maoist groups did not directly support the TMC but helped its electoral interests by campaigning against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PROFESSOR REJECTS MAOIST CHARGE

Adhikari also compared the Jadavpur protests with a recent agitation in Delhi over alleged NEET question-paper leaks, claiming that students at the Kolkata university were instead raising Maoist and political slogans.

He alleged that around 800 students from other states studying at Jadavpur University had been compelled to participate in rallies.

Nandini Mukherjee, a computer science professor at Jadavpur University and a former CPI(M) candidate who contested against Mamata Banerjee in the 2011 Assembly election, rejected Adhikari’s allegations.

She disputed the characterisation of the university as a Maoist stronghold, pushing back against the Chief Minister’s claims about political activity and protests on the campus.