Student death: SFI, TMCP organise separate protests on JU campus

  Bengal principals' body calls for zero tolerance to ragging

PTI, Kolkata, Aug 19, 2023 :  The Students Federation of India (SFI) on Saturday staged a sit-in in front of the administrative block of Jadavpur University (JU) seeking immediate steps against ragging while the TMCP submitted a memorandum to varsity registrar demanding installation of CCTV cameras on the campus.

JU SFI leader Subhankar Majumder said its members will continue the agitation next week unless all those involved in the death of the student are arrested and action is taken against university officials who failed to check ragging in the hostels.

Trinamool Chhatra Parishad JU president Rajanya Halder led its student members to Aurobindo Bhavan, the administrative block of the varsity, and submitted a memorandum to registrar Snehamanju Basu demanding that the entire campus be brought under CCTV camera surveillance within two weeks.

“We had a detailed discussion with the university authorities and they assured us of concrete follow-up action with regard to installation of CCTV cameras in different spots all over the campus,” Halder said.

Activists of BJP’s youth wing BJYM continued their stir near 8B bus stand, opposite to one of JU’s main gates, for the fifth day in protest against the death of the 17-year-old who was allegedly subjected to ragging and sexual abuse before he fell from the second floor balcony of the boys hostel on August 9 night and died on August 10 morning.

Meanwhile, a representative body of college principals in West Bengal has asked authorities of every college to ensure that not a single incident of bullying takes place in the campuses, a matter which is rocking the state after the death of the first year student of Jadavpur University. 

The All Bengal Principals' Council (ABPC) called upon universities, to which the colleges are affiliated, to form high powered committees involving principals, senior faculty members which will visit the campuses on a regular basis and ensure that not a single incident of ragging takes place in the colleges in future. 

Referring to the death of the 17-year old at the JU Boys' Main Hostel earlier this month, the council said such an incident in a premier institution is "totally unacceptable". 

"We appeal to the Jadavpur University officials to stop any further escalation of unrest and immediately initiate steps to restore the student community's confidence. If required we from ABPC are ready to provide necessary support in their efforts," a statement signed by the Council president Shyamalendu Chatterjee and general secretary Indranil Kar said on Friday. 

The Council requested principals of colleges to "ensure zero tolerance for ragging in their respective campuses". 

"We request universities to form high powered committees involving principals, senior faculty members. The committee should visit the various educational institutions on a regular basis and thus ensure confidence among the students," the statement said. 

The department of higher education may engage the services of university and college teachers and serving or retired principals for forming regular monitoring teams, which may have defined areas for monitoring the implementations of various measures initiated by the state government, UGC and others to stop the menace of ragging. 

The dead student was a resident of Bagula in Nadia district.