The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta, has formed a 10-member fact-finding committee to investigate the communal graffiti that appeared on the walls and staircases of one of its hostels, C.V. Raman Hall. The committee includes four student representatives.

The writings, steeped in communal hatred, surfaced a day after a blast in Delhi killed 13 people, leaving students, teachers, and alumni of the ISI in shock.

“A former dean of students will head the committee, and ISI professors will be part of it,” ISI deputy director Dipti Prasad Mukherjee told Metro. “The committee, which started working on Friday, has been asked to file its report as early as possible.”

An ISI official explained that student representatives were included so the probe remains fair and transparent. “Although the committee has been asked to give its report at the earliest, they have been told to keep in mind that the students are writing their exams now,” the official added. Undergraduate and postgraduate exams began on Friday and will continue until the first week of December.

The committee has been tasked with identifying those responsible for the hateful writings and suggesting preventive measures to ensure such incidents do not recur.

On Friday evening, a section of students, researchers, and teachers responded by putting up posters across C.V. Raman Hall that said “No religious bigots allowed inside” and “Membership of this institute shall not be restricted for reasons of sex, nationality, race, religion, caste, or creed.”

One poster cited Article 15 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.

The full text displayed on the poster emphasised that “no citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition” in access to public spaces.

A research scholar said: “The reminder about the Constitution was our way of countering the hateful narrative on the campus.”

ISI, Calcutta, has long been hailed as a liberal institution promoting inclusive education.

The graffiti told students of a particular community that they were not allowed on campus.

Abhirup Sarkar, a former ISI teacher of nearly three decades, described the incident as “unthinkable.” He told Metro: “I would only hope that they carry out a fair probe and find the offenders. The institute must act to prevent a recurrence of such a grave offence.”

ISI’s officiating director, Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, said: “What has happened is an aberration. The institute does not support this. ISI is known for research and academics, not this.”

The dean of students, Biswabata Pradhan, who signed a statement condemning the graffiti on Thursday, was not available for comments on Friday. The statement had 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 established code of conduct.”

The C.V. Raman Hall is equipped with CCTV cameras, though only at the entrance.

An ISI professor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We are looking forward to the outcome of the probe. The writings have hurt the stature of an institution shaped by Prashanta Chandra Mahalanobis and founded on an ethos of plurality. The institute must do everything to restore its image.”