Kolkata, 03 September (H.S.): Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Thursday took out a ‘Vande Mataram’ march on the Jadavpur University campus, carrying the national flag and displaying portraits of eminent personalities. The mobilisation came amid an ongoing political contest over activities and wall writings at the university.

The march was organised ahead of a nationalist conference at the university’s Triguna Sen Auditorium. Students, teachers and non-teaching staff participated in the programme.

Raising slogans of “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, ABVP activists moved through the campus and asserted that what they described as “anti-national” slogans and activities would not be tolerated at the university.

The organisation also put up portraits of prominent personalities as a visual counter-narrative to the controversial wall writings that have recently triggered a political row on the campus.

A portrait of Rabindranath Tagore was displayed at the university gate, while images drawn by artist Nandalal Bose for the Constitution were put up on campus walls.

The march comes against the backdrop of clashes between ABVP and Left student groups at Jadavpur University over the past two weeks. The incidents have turned the campus into a fresh political flashpoint in West Bengal.

The ABVP had announced the ‘Vande Mataram Yatra’ in advance, maintaining that the national song should be freely sung on the campus and that there should be no space for activities it considers hostile to the country.

The programme was followed by a “Nationalist Conference” organised at the Triguna Sen Auditorium by the Haripada Bharati Memorial Protection Committee.

Last week, a ‘Vande Mataram’ programme at Jadavpur University drew participation from thousands of people, further intensifying the debate over nationalism and student politics on the campus.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey