Puducherry: Two students of Pondicherry University have been suspended for allegedly spray-painting derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on a boundary wall, triggering protests on the campus.

The incident prompted students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to gather at the spot and cover the graffiti with metal sheets. They later marched to the administrative building and met Registrar Kulasekaran, demanding action against those responsible.

According to the report, an inquiry found that three students were involved in the incident. Two of them, Agni Ashik, a second-year MA Economics student, and Haisham, a second-year MSc Physics student, were suspended. They were also directed to vacate their university hostel rooms.

A third student, a woman, was reportedly being questioned in connection with the incident. The circumstances of her involvement and any action against her were not immediately clear.

Ashik is identified as the university secretary of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), a student organisation. The incident has further strained relations between student groups on the campus.

In a statement, ABVP members alleged that CCTV footage identified Ashik, another student named Asim and a female student as those involved in the graffiti. The organisation condemned the incident and accused the SFI of creating divisions among students. These allegations could not be independently verified.

The ABVP also objected to the display of an image of Umar Khalid on the campus and said it would file a complaint with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Separately, BJP members staged a protest near the university premises, raising slogans against the administration over the incident.

Tension continued on the campus following the graffiti and the subsequent protests.