Anti-Muslim graffiti appears at top Indian institute
Slurs such as “No Muslims allowed” found on hostel walls at top Indian institute a day after Delhi blast, prompting student demands for inquiry as Islamophobia surges nationwide
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A prestigious Indian research institute is facing growing outrage after anti-Muslim graffiti appeared on its Kolkata campus just a day after the Red Fort blast in Delhi, intensifying fears of rising Islamophobic sentiment in the country’s academic spaces.
According to Alt News, an Indian fact-checking outlet, multiple walls and entry points of the boys’ hostel at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) were defaced with slurs declaring “No Muslims allowed” and “Muslims and dogs should not enter the premises.”
Some of the graffiti appeared to have been modified from older messages, with new additions targeting Muslims in the wake of the blast.
Students said the hateful markings were found at the CV Raman Hall entrance and along a stairway railing, prompting immediate complaints to campus authorities. Senior administrators, including the institute’s director and dean, later inspected the site along with members of the General Affairs Committee — a student body because ISI does not hold student union elections.
Students who spoke to the outlet said administrators verbally condemned the vandalism but refused to share CCTV footage from cameras near the hostel gate. Instead, they were told that officials would review the recordings internally and consider holding a “sensitization programme” at a later date.
The limited institutional response angered students further. Ten of them — including undergraduate, postgraduate and research scholars — met the dean on November 12 seeking a formal inquiry, a public statement, and transparency about the ongoing review.
They said only minor steps had been taken in the first 36 hours and expressed concern that the administration was attempting to downplay the incident.
By late evening on November 12, no formal statement had been released, deepening frustration among students who felt the institute was failing to treat the graffiti as a hate-motivated act targeting a marginalized community.
The Indian Statistical Institute, a premier research and teaching centre established in 1931 and designated an “Institution of National Importance” by the Indian government, later issued a written condemnation.
The statement said the use of language promoting religious hatred “violates the institute’s core values” and “creates a hostile environment that tarnishes the institute’s reputation.” ISI added that it would take action against those responsible “in accordance with the law.”
The incident comes at a time when Muslim communities across India are reporting a sharp increase in hostility — both online and offline — following the Delhi blast. Students at ISI say the graffiti has shaken their sense of safety and raised urgent questions about how academic institutions handle rising bigotry on campus.
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