Ram Navami was celebrated on the Jadavpur University campus for the first time by students affiliated with the ABVP despite being denied permission by the university authorities. The celebrations took place at the Technology Bhawan entrance where the alleged graffiti of “Azad Kashmir” had sparked a row. On Sunday, the graffiti was covered with pictures of Shri Aurobindo and Lord Ram.
On Friday, the university administration had told the organisers that since the varsity is functioning without a vice-chancellor, they were not in a position to grant permission to celebrate Ram Navami on the campus.
However, ABVP members said they were determined to celebrate Ram Navami on the campus and brought an idol of Lord Ram. Debanjan Pal, the Kolkata district secretary of ABVP, said, “If Iftar can be celebrated on the JU campus, then there should not be any problem in celebrating Ram Navami. The denial of permission was a one-sided decision. The reasoning that the university is giving that as there is no V-C so they cannot give permission is completely baseless as exams are being carried out by the university.”
SFI’s Subhadip Banerjee said they had no issue “with anyone celebrating Easter, Ram Navami, Saraswati Puja, or Iftar. “But time and again we have told the authorities that such celebrations shouldn’t be held on the campus as it is an educational institution.”
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