Opinion | Mamata Scores Own Goal Trying To Rebut PM Modi On Jadavpur University’s Decline

Jadavpur and the rest of Kolkata go to polls on April 29. The hollowness of Mamata Banerjee’s outrage may keep ringing till then

When PM Narendra Modi criticised how the iconic Jadavpur University had degenerated into a den of anarchy, anti-national activism, and intimidation under TMC rule, it was a neatly laid trap. Mamata Banerjee walked straight into it.

Jadavpur University (JU), once one of India’s most respected institutions, has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons over the past 15 years. Campus violence, sexual harassment, ragging, political interference, anti-national slogans and graffiti, and suppression of dissent have freely stalked its campus.

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So, when Mamata Banerjee outraged on X against the PM’s remarks, she seemed to have forgotten the moniker she herself coined for Jadavpur University in 2023: “Atongkopur" (“atongko" in Bengali means “intense fear"). Nor did she have in mind the various similar utterances of her own leaders, from Bratya Basu to Derek O’Brien to Kunal Basu.

Hon’ ble Mr Prime Minister,Pained to ask: is this the way how you describe the meritorious students of the esteemed Jadavpur University? Is this your concept of decorum and courtesy? Jadavpur University has been receiving top ranks from your Government’s NIRF ranking framework…— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 24, 2026

Hon’ ble Mr Prime Minister,Pained to ask: is this the way how you describe the meritorious students of the esteemed Jadavpur University? Is this your concept of decorum and courtesy? Jadavpur University has been receiving top ranks from your Government’s NIRF ranking framework…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 24, 2026

In 2014-2015, the “Hok Kolorob" movement erupted over allegations of sexual harassment of a female student on the campus. The police beat up students and faculty with sticks. The movement became a symbol of student resistance and exposed the administrative failures and politicisation of JU.

In 2018–2019, several complaints of sexual harassment by faculty members surfaced. The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) dragged its feet and was accused of bias towards the predators.

In August 2023, a first-year student died after allegedly falling from the second-floor balcony of the main hostel. Investigation confirmed ragging and sexual abuse. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance, noting “negligence and lack of supervision" by the university.

In 2024-2025, there were fresh complaints of ragging and sexual harassment. A student who was “frisked for cheating" accused a professor of sexual misconduct. In 2025, seven students were punished for “slut-shaming", physical assault, and abusing female students and faculty.

In March 2025, West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu’s convoy allegedly ran over a first-year student during a protest. The student suffered serious injuries, including severe damage to an eye and leg.

In April 2025, Jadavpur University administration denied permission for Ram Navami celebrations on the campus while allowing Iftar celebrations just a few days earlier in a brazen display of selective secularism. Left student groups like SFI and AISA predictably opposed the event.

Hindu student groups like ABVP and Hindu Students’ Union protested and eventually held a small puja defying the ban.

On February 20, 2026, the campus erupted again as student groups clashed near the Science-Arts intersection. It left two professors and several students injured.

In all this, TMC leaders did not shy from criticising the affairs of the university. The CM herself called it a place of horror. Her education minister, Bratya Basu, after the February 2026 violence, expressed “deep concern" and assured strict action. Following the 2023 ragging death, he demanded that the university administration take full responsibility.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien criticised campus violence too, on multiple occasions, calling for “restoration of normalcy" and better discipline, while also accusing the Centre of politicising the issue.

On the anti-national graffiti, TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Babul Supriyo spoke out.

Kunal Ghosh said, “Some ultra-Left student outfits are behind this kind of anti-national activity. They are trying to create chaos and tarnish the image of Bengal. Jadavpur University has become a den of ultra-left and anti-national forces. The administration must take strict action against those who are writing ‘Azad Kashmir’ on the walls and spreading separatism."

In spite of that, Mamata Banerjee stepped out of the crease to hit PM Modi out of the park, missed completely, and got stumped by her own hypocrisy, inaction, and years of allowing campuses to be rabidly and violently politicised.

Jadavpur and the rest of Kolkata go to polls on April 29. The hollowness of Mamata Banerjee’s outrage may keep ringing till then.

Abhijit Majumder is the author of the book ‘India’s New Right’. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.

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