Kolkata: Saffron flags, saffron attire and chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' filled the streets of south Kolkata on Wednesday as Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari led a large procession that the BJP said was meant to defend the 'dignity' of the saffron colour.

The 'Gerua Samman Yatra' began at Golpark, drawing a large gathering of monks and seers.

Adhikari, dressed in a saffron kurta and carrying a saffron flag, walked at the front of the procession as it moved along the southbound flank of Raja Subodh Chandra Mullick Road.

The 3-km march is scheduled to conclude at the 8B bus stand, located outside the Jadavpur University campus.

The BJP has described the procession as an effort to push back against what it considers attempts to 'malign' the colour saffron.

A BJP leader said the objective was to safeguard the colour's dignity and highlight the values and ideals traditionally associated with it.

The procession assumes added significance against the backdrop of growing tensions at Jadavpur University, where Left-wing student groups and the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have been locked in a battle of graffiti and slogans.

The campus has witnessed clashes between the two sides in recent days, adding a political and ideological edge to the saffron march's route towards the university.

Wednesday's procession also comes less than two weeks after Adhikari attended an event outside the Jadavpur University campus, where around 10,000 people gathered to sing the complete version of 'Vande Mataram'.

The latest march therefore places the symbolism of saffron and its associated cultural and political imagery firmly in the spotlight, even as tensions surrounding student politics at Jadavpur University continue to simmer.

The BJP maintains that the 'Gerua Samman Yatra' is about preserving the respect attached to saffron and creating awareness about its values and ideals.

With monks and seers joining the procession and the march ending close to the university campus, the event has added another layer to an already charged atmosphere in the area.