Graffiti returned to the walls of Jadavpur University (JU) on Thursday, a day after a Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) team entered the campus at midnight to erase graffiti and paintings. The move triggered criticism from students, who alleged that the university was showing greater urgency in removing wall writings than in investigating the campus vandalism and violence that had sparked unrest.

Students wrote fresh slogans on sections of the walls cleaned by the civic body, describing the act as “reclaiming” the walls. Among the erased writings was a quote attributed to Karl Marx.

Students from the Revolutionary Students’ Front alleged that the focus on graffiti had diverted public attention from accusations of ABVP-led vandalism on August 20. Postgraduate student Anushna Das said the focus had shifted from the alleged campus violence to the removal of graffiti, while the investigation into the incident appeared to be making little progress.

Several students claimed that ABVP supporters allegedly entered the campus twice on August 20 and attacked those inside Aurobindo Bhavan. Students alleged that fireballs were hurled through a locked grille gate, while some women students accused the attackers of making obscene gestures and issuing threats. One student said she recorded the incident during a Facebook Live session.

Students also claimed that CCTV footage accessed by the media showed ABVP supporters entering and vandalising the campus, though they questioned the pace of the probe. JU Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee said both a university committee and the police were investigating the incident.

Professor Manas Ghosh alleged that the emphasis on graffiti was deliberately diverting attention from the violence and the allegations against ABVP.