ISI Calcutta informs Baranagar police about hate-filled graffiti on hostel walls
Telegraph | 18 November 2025
Calcutta: The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta, has informed Baranagar police about the hate-filled graffiti that appeared in one of its hostels on November 11.
Deputy director Dipti Prasad Mukherjee said on Monday that the institute had submitted a written intimation to the police. “We have informed the police about what has happened. It is for them to decide whether they will turn it into an FIR or what course of action they will take. We are stepping with caution as the students are now writing their exams,” she said.
Many on campus have questioned why the institute did not immediately approach the police about the writings, which spewed communal venom in an institution long regarded as a centre of liberal education. “ISI should have lodged an FIR right away. Let’s see what the police do now,” a teacher said.
The writings, which appeared on room doors, staircases and garbage bins in C.V. Raman Hall, targeted a specific community and declared they were not allowed to enter the campus. Students, teachers and alumni had expressed shock at the act.
An officer from Baranagar police station said the institute’s intimation would be converted into an FIR. “We will conduct a thorough inquiry. We are in touch with the ISI authorities. If needed, we will contact the fact-finding team the institute has constituted,” the officer said.
“A specific case has been registered against an unknown person. The case has been lodged under Sections 196, 352, and 353 of the BNS. Investigation has commenced,” said a senior officer of the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate.
Section 196 of the BNS criminalises promoting hatred, enmity, or disharmony between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community; Section 352 deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace; and Section 353 pertains to statements or actions conducive to public mischief.
An institute official attributed the delay in informing the police to ongoing exams. “Students have been writing their exams since last week and will continue till the first week of December. We don’t want police questioning during exams. We would also like to wait for the report of the fact-finding committee,” the official said.
ISI has set up a fact-finding committee that includes hostel wardens and students to identify who authored the messages and to recommend preventive measures.
Deputy director Mukherjee said the institute would consider steps such as installing CCTV cameras inside hostels if the committee suggested it. “We have to decide with caution because privacy is also involved,” she said.