VIVEKANANDA’S DEFACED PORTRAIT IGNITES CAMPUS CONFRONTATION: ABVP TARGETS SFI, LEFT STUDENT BODY COUNTERS WITH DENIAL
October 15, 2026
A controversy over the alleged defacement of a poster bearing the image of Swami Vivekananda has triggered a political confrontation at Presidency University, with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staging a protest and accusing the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) of responsibility. The Left-wing student organisation has firmly denied the allegation and, in turn, questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The controversy erupted after an ABVP poster displayed on the university campus, featuring Swami Vivekananda, was found defaced with offensive words written across it. The incident reportedly came to light a day before Wednesday’s protest, prompting the student organisation to demand accountability and action against those responsible.
ABVP DEMANDS ACTION OVER ALLEGED DESECRATION
ABVP functionary Swadhin Haldar said approximately 200 members of the organisation participated in a demonstration outside the university’s College Street campus on Wednesday. He alleged that slogans demanding “azadi”, or freedom, were being raised on the campus and that images of spiritual leaders such as Vivekananda were being desecrated.
Haldar claimed that the poster had been torn and that derogatory expressions, including the phrase “throw out garbage”, had been written on it. He declared that the organisation would continue pressing for action until those responsible for the alleged act were identified and brought to account.
The ABVP’s allegations have placed the spotlight on student politics at Presidency University, where competing ideological positions have frequently shaped campus debates. However, responsibility for the defacement has not been established in the reported account.
SFI REJECTS THE CHARGE AND QUESTIONS ABVP’S MOTIVES
The SFI, which controls the university’s students’ council, rejected the accusation that it had any involvement in the incident. A member of the organisation’s Central Executive said SFI holds Swami Vivekananda in high regard and denied that the Left-wing student body was responsible for the alleged defacement.
The SFI representative instead suggested that the incident might have been staged by the ABVP to strengthen its presence at the university. He characterised the episode as part of what he described as an attempt to target an institution associated with liberal thought, democratic principles and intellectual freedom.
The organisation also called on the university authorities to investigate the incident. Its counter-allegation, like the accusation directed at SFI, remains unproven in the available account.
CAMPUS POLITICS UNDER FRESH SCRUTINY
The controversy has brought competing claims, ideological divisions and demands for accountability into sharp focus at one of Kolkata’s best-known educational institutions. The defacement of a poster bearing Vivekananda’s image has become the immediate point of contention, while the opposing student organisations have advanced sharply different interpretations of how the incident occurred and who might benefit from it.
The central question remains unresolved: who defaced the poster, and under what circumstances? Establishing responsibility will require an impartial examination of the incident rather than reliance on political accusations.
For now, the episode has escalated into a public confrontation between the ABVP and SFI, with both organisations seeking to frame the incident through their competing political narratives. Until the facts are established, neither side’s allegations should be treated as a proven account of what happened.