Political tensions spilled onto the campus of University of Calcutta on Tuesday after a violent clash broke out between workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and activists of the Democratic Students Organisation (DSO) at the College Street campus.
Several members from both groups were injured in the confrontation.
A video that later went viral on social media appeared to show ABVP supporters attacking DSO activists with flagpoles. One student was seen collapsing to the ground during the assault.
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The injured student has been identified as Shivam Mondal. According to allegations made by DSO activists, he sustained a head injury after being hit with sticks by ABVP workers and is currently undergoing treatment at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. Other students who allegedly tried to shield him during the clash were also injured.
DSO’s Kolkata district committee member Anik De reportedly suffered injuries to his head, while All India DSO president Srabanti Sapui was also allegedly assaulted with sticks during the violence.
Student groups trade allegations after campus violence
Biswajit Roy, state committee secretary of All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), alleged that “outsiders and anti-social elements linked to ABVP entered the university campus and started removing our organisation’s banners. Our workers were injured while trying to resist them.” ABVP, however, denied the allegations.
This is Kolkata University where ABVP goons attacking Students aligned with SFI and other student organisation. Here again no Police force nor any CAPF deployed. Can’t imagine the state of law and order breakdown in the state. pic.twitter.com/xZmEHu0MW6
— Kamru Choudhury (@Kamru_Choudhury) May 5, 2026
Swadhin Haldar, secretary of ABVP’s Kolkata unit, claimed that their members had gone to the campus for a courtesy meeting with teachers and non-teaching staff. “Some of them attacked us first. Several of our workers were also injured,” he said.
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The clash comes amid heightened political activity across campuses following the recent Assembly election results in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party made major gains against the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
ABVP leaders have recently outlined plans to “free campuses from political violence”. Nilkantha Bhattacharya, ABVP’s South Bengal provincial secretary, said campuses should not become “political battlegrounds”.
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He said portraits of Swami Vivekananda, Goddess Saraswati and Bharat Mata would be placed inside union rooms and asserted that campuses would be made “drug-free”. ABVP leaders also stated that portraits of Che Guevara and Vladimir Lenin displayed on campuses by Left student groups would “no longer be tolerated”.
Reacting to the remarks, SFI central committee member Shubhajit Sarkar said Left student groups display not only portraits of Che and Lenin, but also those of Bhagat Singh and Khudiram Bose.
“We believe in the ideals of Bhagat Singh, while they are inspired by Savarkar. That difference will naturally remain,” he said.
