Hate graffiti appear on ISI hostel walls, institute warns of strict legal action

Dean says such derogatory writings against the institute’s founding principle of inclusivity, mutual respect, harmony, and diversity

Written by Sweety Kumari

Kolkata | Updated: November 14, 2025 09:58 PM IST

2 min read

Institute authorities issued a strong condemnation, warning of severe legal action against those responsible for the “derogatory comments” found scrawled at several locations within the hostel.

After graffiti targeting a particular community appeared on the walls of the boys’ hostel at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata, the institute on Friday warned of severe legal action against those responsible for the “derogatory comments”.

“It has come to the notice of the institute authorities that hateful and derogatory comments have been recently displayed against the members of a particular community at several places in the Boys’ Hostel (C V Raman Hall) of the ISI… The Institute strongly condemns this incident in the strongest possible terms… and will take strict action in accordance with the law of the land against the perpetrators for hurting the sentiments of a particular community and trying to disrupt the social fabric of the institute,” a notice issued by the Dean of Studies, B Pradhan, read.

The graffiti appeared at several places inside the boy’s four days after a car blast in Delhi killed at least 10 people.

Stating that the ISI is founded on the principles of “inclusivity, mutual respect, harmony, and diversity,” the institute said, “The use of language that promotes hatred, discrimination or disharmony among individuals based on their religion, caste or community is a direct violation of our core values and the established code of conduct… Any activity or action that hurts the sentiment of others, implies any discrimination based on caste, religion, gender etc, or has the potential to affect the harmonious academic environment of the institute is unacceptable and needs to be denounced unequivocally.”

“Such an act creates a hostile environment and also tarnishes the reputation of the institute,” the Dean said, adding the institute will cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

So far, no police complaint has been lodged over the hateful graffiti.

Founded by scientist and statistician PC Mahalanobis in Kolkata in 1931, the institute gained the status of an Institution of National Importance in 1959. There are four centres of the ISI — in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Tezpur.

From the homepage

Bihar’s Chief Ministers | Nitish Kumar: Journey from early poll losses to becoming longest-serving CM

Bihar Election Results 2025 LIVE Updates: What’s next for Tejashwi Yadav after the RJD debacle

Want to know what’s wrong with the Congress? Look at its reaction to Bihar loss

Sweety Kumari

Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:

Kolkata