Fact Check: Claims of Saraswati Puja not being allowed at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University entirely false

Against the backdrop of a video of an Iftar party at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University (JU) going viral, Union minister and BJP West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar on March 26 took to X to vent his anger at what he called the communal double standard of the West Bengal government.

Majumdar wrote: “We don’t have a problem with Iftar, but if Iftar is allowed why is Saraswati Puja not? Iftar parties are considered ‘secular,’ but the worship of Goddess Saraswati in educational institutions are deemed outright communal! Bengalis have proof of your (referring to the TMC government) double standard.” (Archive)

Several social media users shared the JU Iftar video, claiming that at the same university, Saraswati Puja had earlier been stopped.

X user Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts), who has been found sharing misinformation and communal propaganda several times in the past, shared the video with the same claim and added that ‘Hindu Bongs’ should fear for their future as several have been ‘wiped out’ of Bangladesh; a similar fate should not befall those in West Bengal. The tweet has received over 3.4 Lakh views and has been retweeted over 4,900 times. (Archive)

Another X user, BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon), shared the same video with the following caption: “This is Jadavpur University. This is Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb imposed by Lefti$ts, after stopping Saraswati Puja few days back at same place.” (Archive)

Readers should note that this user has been found amplifying misinformation several times in the past.

Several other users shared the same video, claiming that while Iftar was allowed inside JU, while Saraswati Puja was not. Below are a few instances:

Click to view slideshow.

Fact Check

We ran a keyword search on Facebook and came across a post by Kishalay Roy, who identifies himself as the president of JU Trinamool Chhatra Parishad or TMCP (TMC student wing) unit, from February 2. The post carried several images that showed an idol of the Hindu deity Saraswati in the background.

The caption, after quoting the line of a poem, said: “With the successful initiative and presence of all students and leaders, Jadavpur University Trinamool Chhatra Parishad organized Saraswati Puja 2025 today. The enthusiasm and excitement of the students surrounding the puja have truly touched our hearts. In the days ahead, we will continue our efforts to connect with you in the same way!”

” আনন্দেরই সাগর হতে, এসেছে আজ বান ”

আজ, সকল ছাত্রছাত্রী এবং নেতৃত্বের সফল উদ্যোগে এবং উপস্থিতিতে যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়…

Posted by Kishalay Roy on Sunday 2 February 2025

We also spoke with Sanjib Pramanick, a PhD research fellow at the university and the West Bengal TMCP general secretary. He stated, “I have been at Jadavpur University since 2012, and Saraswati Puja has always been celebrated here. In 2019, TMCP started organising the puja near Worldview, and since then, we have never encountered any obstacle. Various departments and hostels also conduct several other Hindu pujas.”

Pramanick also shared with us the permission letter granted by the university’s Registrar to the TMCP for organising Saraswati Puja at the university.

This shows that Saraswati Puja was conducted in Jadavpur University.

We also found another post shared on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP JU page. The images shared showed Saraswati Puja organised by the ABVP on the campus. The caption also mentioned that 150 students offered puspanjali and 400 people took khichuri as prasad after the puja.

Today we JUABVP FAMILY successfully celebrated Saraswati Puja In our Campus…..
Around 150 students gave …

Posted by ABVP Jadavpur University on Sunday 2 February 2025

Alt News reached out to Nikhil Das, president of JU ABVP, who confirmed to us that Saraswati Puja was organised on the campus and they did not face any hurdles while seeking permission from the authorities to conduct the puja.

We also spoke to the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) secretary of the Arts community, Jadavpur University, Abhinaba Basu. Rubbishing the rumours, he told us, “There are at least eight Saraswati pujas that are organised on the campus. Saraswati puja has been conducted every year.”

A former JU student told Alt News that apart from student communities, members of the staff, university workers and their family staying in quarters on the campus also organized more than one Saraswati Puja every year. This has been going on for years.

We also tried to find media reports about Saraswati Puja being banned or stopped at JU. We could not find any.

We came across a report from February 14, 2024, that mentioned that the Calcutta high court had asked the university to stick to its policy of not allowing outsiders to hold puja on the campus. Last year, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad or TMCP (TMC student wing) organized two separate pujas at the university — one led by TMCP leader Sanjib Pramanik and the other by Rajanya Haldar, an alumna who reportedly still held the position of JU TMCP president. A university student had then moved the court alleging that outsiders were conducting the puja on campus with financial support from the institution.

Notably, the report did not state that Saraswati Puja was banned at Jadavpur University. In fact, it indirectly confirmed that the puja did take place on the campus.

To sum up, the claims that Saraswati Puja was not allowed at JU are entirely false.

The post Fact Check: Claims of Saraswati Puja not being allowed at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University entirely false appeared first on Alt News.

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