Workers hold the emblem of Jadavpur University during it's reinstallation at the main gate after the emblem installed on one of the gates was damaged on Thursday afternoon when members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) allegedly tried to enter the campus following a clash between its members and supporters, in Kolkata, Friday, August 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Another member of the inquiry panel of Jadavpur University, which was formed to probe the violent clash that erupted between supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-backed student organisations on August 20, quit on Wednesday (August 26, 2026).The vice-chancellor of Babasaheb Ambedkar Education University, Arunasis Goswami, submitted his resignation from the panel to Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya on Wednesday morning.Earlier, the vice-chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University, Professor Subha Shankar Sarkar, who was appointed chairman of the committee, also stepped down on August 24, 2026.The development came following an objection from the RSS-affiliated teachers’ body, Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), over his past association with the West Bengal School Service Commission, which was accused of several instances of corruption during the previous government.On Wednesday, the ABVP also held a protest rally at the 8B Bus Stand, right opposite Gate No. 2 of the university. The organisation has demanded that the government appoint the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the incident.At around 2 a.m. on Thursday (August 20, 2026), ABVP supporters armed with lathis and sticks stormed the university campus and tore down and set fire to posters of the Left student unions, alleging that their supporters had been assaulted by members of the Left student unions over a general body meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU). Later that day, supporters of both groups held rallies inside and outside the university campus, and the police put up barricades to prevent rival factions from clashing.Following the development, at least four FIRs have been lodged at the local police station. While Ms. Mukherjee lodged an FIR against Left students for assaulting ABVP students, the university authorities also lodged an FIR over the vandalism and ruckus on the campus by a mob from outside the campus. Meanwhile, the SFI and ABVP also lodged two cross-FIRs against each other.Even five days after the clash, the campus remained tense as both student groups held rallies on Monday and made several demands to the VC. Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday also visited the campus and questioned the university’s registrar, Selim Box Mandal, whom the RSS-affiliated teachers’ body of the university accused of leaking confidential information of the university to outsiders.Ripple effect of JU clashThe ripple effect of the clash at JU also reached several other institutions, including Presidency University, Calcutta University and Medinipore College, where the ABVP has reportedly engaged in clashes with other student groups.On Wednesday night, another clash erupted at West Bengal State University between ABVP supporters and Trinamool Congress supporters over arrangements for the Rakhi Bandhan festival.The ABVP claimed that Trinamool supporters abducted one of its students late on Tuesday night and assaulted him. Later, the Trinamool students also launched a further attack on them when they protested the move. According to the ABVP, the Trinamool supporters were upset as the VC had assigned the funds for the festival to the ABVP group this year.However, the Trinamool supporters said that the ABVP supporters deliberately attacked them when they were working for the festival. During the clash, some people were also injured, and an FIR was lodged by the university authorities. On Wednesday, the Duttapukur police arrested four Trinamool supporters in connection with the clash. Published - August 26, 2026 08:23 pm IST
