Burdwan Medical College’s administrative building still carries graffiti, slogans and posters more than two months after West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay ordered the walls to be cleared and painted white, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Bengal.
The minister inspected the medical college on August 21 and expressed displeasure after seeing writing, posters and images associated with the RG Kar movement across the administrative building. During the inspection, he questioned college officials over the condition of the walls and directed the principal and vice-principal to remove the material within 24 hours and repaint the surfaces.
The report said that, as of Friday, the graffiti and wall writing had not been removed. The walls had not been painted white, and a designated area for slogans, wall writing and posters had also not been created, despite the minister later stating that such a space would be provided.
The delay has raised questions about administrative coordination at the medical college. An unnamed student quoted in the report alleged that sections of the institution were focused on an annual cultural programme and on collecting money from junior students rather than implementing the minister’s instruction. These allegations could not be independently verified from the supplied report.
An unnamed senior doctor described the situation as an indication of administrative laxity at the medical college and said that even a steel board or designated structure had not been arranged in the two months since the minister’s order. The doctor’s comments were reported by Sangbad Pratidin – Bengal.
The issue acquired renewed attention after media inquiries began. College Principal Sabyasachi Das told the publication that three metal poster walls had been prepared and would soon be installed at locations identified for students. He said the existing wall writing would be removed after the structures were put in place and that the work would be completed quickly.
The episode highlights a basic but often overlooked administrative responsibility in public institutions: maintaining common walls and defining where public expression, notices and posters can be displayed. In a medical college campus, the administrative building is also part of a working public facility used by students, doctors, staff and visitors. The supplied report does not establish the cost of the proposed work or identify which department is responsible for carrying it out.
The immediate next step, according to the principal, is the installation of the three metal poster walls, followed by the removal of the existing writing and repainting of the administrative building. The report does not provide a specific completion date for either task.
