Jadavpur University students use ex-PM Vajpayee’s remark to justify ‘Free Palestine’ graffiti
Students at Jadavpur University in India have used a historical quote from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to defend their pro-Palestine graffiti. This follows a government-ordered whitewashing of campus walls that had featured various political slogans.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding freedom of expression on university campuses and the intersection of historical political rhetoric with contemporary activism.
Students of Jadavpur University on Thursday (September 3, 2026) put up a poster in the campus of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remark on the territorial integrity of Palestine.
Only a day before, the administration whitewashed all the graffiti from the walls of the university after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari directed the university administration to take action against the ‘anti-national’ graffiti painted on the walls, including the ones demanding freedom of Palestine and Kashmir, and also slogans on shooting the fascists.
The poster of the former Prime Minister was put up at the green zone area of the university, in which the ex-PM said, “Israel must return the lands of Arabs it has occupied. The lawful rights of the Palestinians must be established.”
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