Kolkata: One of the premier institutions in the country, the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, was rocked by Islamophobic graffiti a day after a devastating car explosion killed at least 12 people and left several injured in Delhi.
The "hateful and derogatory" statements were displayed at several places in the C V Raman Hall, which houses graduate and postgraduate male students.
The incident prompted the institute to circulate a notice among students on Thursday, stating that "the use of language that promotes hatred, discrimination, or disharmony among individuals based on their religion, caste, or community is a direct violation of our core values and the established code of conduct… strict action in accordance with the law of the land will be taken against the perpetrators for hurting the sentiments of a particular community and disrupting the social fabric of the institute".
On Thursday afternoon, the comments were erased by the administration.
A campus source pointed out that around 7.30 am on Tuesday, students noticed such hateful comments against a particular community written on both sides of the hostel entrance, on a dustbin on one of the hostel floors, on the door outside the washing machine room, and on a staircase railing of the hostel. Director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, dean of studies Biswabrata Pradhan, and hostel warden Subhamoy Maitra visited the hostel and inspected the graffiti on Tuesday.
A student said, "Such Islamophobic statements have never been publicly displayed on the campus before. Students from across religions, castes, and communities come here to study. This kind of incident creates a rift in trust among students and hampers the inclusivity of the campus."
Another senior student said, "We lodged a complaint with the authorities on Tuesday, demanding a probe to find out who was behind the incident. There is a CCTV near the hostel gate which might have captured the perpetrator. Our request to see the footage was denied by the administration, but they assured us that they would look into it. A security guard has also been permanently posted outside the hostel entrance after the incident."
Bandyopadhyay said, "We never support any discrimination based on religious identity or gender. We held meetings with the students instantly. However, students shouldn't be afraid. We will conduct a sensitisation programme after the exams are over." Deputy director Dipti Mukherjee said, "They started an inquiry into the incident and security has been tightened. However, semester examinations are scheduled to be held from Friday, and we are ensuring that nothing hampers the examination process."
A faculty member of ISI said, "An administrative meeting over the issue was called on Thursday afternoon. We have instructed the staff to restore the area that was defaced."
Professors termed the incident "unthinkable" and "unprecedented". Professor at the theoretical statistics and mathematics unit, Probal Chaudhuri, said, "The rising Islamophobia in the country is being reflected on the ISI campus. It is shameful. The administration should take immediate action so that such incidents do not recur." Professor at the applied statistics unit, Debasis Sengupta, said, "Public display of hateful comments towards a community was unthinkable a few years ago at ISI."
Emeritus professor of sociology at Presidency University, Prasanta Roy, said, "Implicating an entire community for an incident is in bad taste. It disturbs the age-long harmonious coexistence between Hindus and Muslims."