Saffron to white to saffron again: No end to controversy over painting of Kolkata’s Academy of Fine Arts

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said that action will be taken against the ones who did it as politics of colour is not part of BJP’s agenda.

Published - August 13, 2026 04:45 am IST - KOLKATA

A security room of Kolkata’s iconic Academy of Fine Arts painted in saffron. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Controversy over Kolkata’s iconic Academy of Fine Arts refuses to die down as the rival political groups change the colour of an security room from white to saffron in 24 hours.

The theatre practitioners held a protest last month after the portion of Kolkata’s iconic Academy of Fine Arts has been painted saffron. However, the artists and the CPI(M) leader cum senior advocate Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya painted it white on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) following which, delegates of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by MLA and actor Rudranil Ghosh reached the premises on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) and again changed it back to saffron.

Since the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May, several government buildings, streets, and civic structures have also been witnessing a colour change.

While nameplates and some sections of the State secretariat- Nabanna- have recently been painted in saffron and white, a trial programme was also held at the iconic Writers’ Building to decorate it with saffron bulbs. The government is planning to shift the secretariat to this traditional building. Many road barricades and signboards are also being switched to saffron-and-white from blue-white combination chosen by the previous Trinamool Congress government.

The academy was formally established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee. It was initially located in a room loaned by the Indian Museum, and was later shifted to its current location, Cathedral Road, next to the Rabindra Sadan premises.

The galleries of the Academy provide a whopping 6,300 sq ft space and has an auditorium, a conference centre, and several important and priceless collections of artworks by Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Ray, Gaganendranath Tagore, and Ramkinkar Baij.

Earlier in July, the security room of the Academy was painted saffron, which immediately caught the eyes of the people. Following the development, a group of artists also gathered in front of the Academy and staged a protest on Friday (June 10, 2026). On Monday (June 13, 2026), at least 14 theatre artists, including Bibhash Chakraborty, Arup Roy, Chandan Sen, Sourav Palodhi, Arun Mukhopadhyay also wrote a letter to BJP state president Mr. Bhattacharya.

They also submitted a letter to the BJP State president Samik Bhattacharya and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari condemning the action. They said that it was an un-artistic and a distorted attack on Bengal’s culture, and also sought action against the ones who did it.

“Some communists changed the colour of this room without consulting with the trustee of the Academy. They never like saffron, a colour of sacrifice. This action is not acceptable. They think they own this premises. CPI(M) leader Mr. Bhattacharya was also present there. CITU has kept four offices occupied in the premises. What kind of action is this? So we have painted it saffron again,” said Mr. Ghosh after painting it saffron. The theatre practitioners further condemned the action saying that BJP is now directly politicising the matter.

“This is sheer foolishness. Changing the paints in this way is an action of dominance. We will not accept it. We will meet on Thursday again and decide our future action,” said Secretary of Aneek Theatre Group, Arup Roy.

However, BJP State president Mr. Bhattacharya said that such politics is not part of BJP’s agenda. “This is not acceptable. This is not BJP’s agenda to play politics over colours. Identify the ones who did it. We will take action,” he told the media.

Published - August 13, 2026 04:45 am IST

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