ABVP-Left student clash erupts at Jadavpur University

Violence erupted at Jadavpur University in Kolkata over the intervening night of Wednesday, August 19, and Thursday, August 20, 2026, after a clash between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left-leaning student groups escalated during a campus meeting. Several students from both sides were injured in the confrontation, with some requiring hospital treatment, and fires were reported on the university premises.

The clash began during a general body meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students Union (FETSU) on Wednesday night. Both rival factions blamed each other for instigating the violence. The ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, alleged that members of Left-leaning organisations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Students' Organisation-Democratic Students' Federation (DSO-DSF), launched a planned attack under the cover of the meeting. Conversely, Left-leaning groups accused ABVP supporters of bringing outsiders onto the campus, resorting to vandalism, and attempting to seize control of university spaces.

The situation escalated dramatically, with videos circulating among...