In an incident highlighting a typical leftist trope of targeting Hinduism by attacking the so-called upper castes, suspected leftist activists plastered the campus walls of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with graffiti against Brahmins and Baniyas.

“Brahmins, leave the campus” was scribbled in red paint on the walls of the School of International Studies. A confused graffiti announced, “Brahmo (Brahmins?), Banias, we are coming for you,” making educated observers wonder whether the activists were targeting followers of Raja Rammohun Roy, the founder of the rationalist Brahmo Samaj, as well!

“We will avenge” was found scribbled too. Avenge what? The graffiti did not explain.

The pictures of the walls went viral on social media platforms, triggering tension and concerns.

Targeting the student union of the RSS, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the self-styled Ambedkarites — identifying themselves with the “Jai Bhim” slogan, an invocation of BR Ambedkar’s name — wrote further: “You will not be spared; Go back to the shakhas.”

The activists made the “Shakha laut jao” graffiti on the door of the cabin of a woman professor of JNU. Communist activists had detained her in a room for three days in November 2019.

University sources say these slogans were written on the night of 30 November. The JNU administration has issued no statement on the incident so far.

But JNU Teachers’ Forum did protest. “While the Left-Liberal gang intimidate every dissenting voice, they appeal to elect EC representatives that ‘can assert the values of mutual respect and civility, & equal & just treatment of all’,” it tweeted, stressing civility and mutual respect. “Highly deplorable act of vandalism!” it exclaimed.

The suspected communist activists painted the walls of the second and third floors of the School of Language and Literature and the doors of several faculty members with objectionable slogans.

The ABVP alleged that the communist students of the All India Student Association (AISA) were behind the graffiti. The RSS students’ wing said that the leftists issued such threats on the walls of hostel rooms to intimidate “open-minded” professors. The ABVP has demanded from the JNU administration that action be taken against the suspects.

“ABVP condemns the rampant vandalisation of academic spaces by communist goons. The communists have written abuses on the walls of JNU in the School of International Studies- II building. They have defaced chambers of free-thinking professors to intimidate them,” said ABVP JNU President Rohit Kumar.

“We believe that academic spaces must be used for debate and discussion and not for poisoning society and students’ community,” the ABVP leader said.

However, AISA member and former JNU President N Sai Balaji rejected the allegation. He said that his group did not know what ABVP was talking about. “We haven’t done any such thing. ABVP itself must have put up these slogans.”