JU makes I card mandatory for entry into campus, hostels at night; CCTV to be installed

KOLKATA: Jadavpur University (JU) Thursday made identity cards mandatory for visitors to enter the campus at night and decided to install CCTVs at strategic points, including at the gates at the earliest. The steps were taken a week after the death of a fresher allegedly due to ragging in the wake of widespread allegations about outsiders indulging in inappropriate behaviour in the campus area.

Registrar Snehamanju Basu told reporters that the university has given contracts for installing CCTVs at the different entry and exit points but it will take some time for making them functional due to logistical reasons.

"CCTVs will be installed at certain strategic points, which will include several entry and exit gates. However, since the electrical engineering department will take a call on the issue of installation with the firm under contract, the entire exercise will take some time," she added.

Steps to curb ragging

The state PWD is also associated with any work undertaken by a state-run university. To a question, Basu said any decision to have CCTVs to cover the entire main hostel compound and campus area cannot be taken now as it can only be vetted by the university's Executive Council (EC), which takes key decisions.

The EC has not been functioning for quite some time in the university which has been without a vice-chancellor for months. In the wake of reports about entry of day scholars to the university and several hostel campuses during dusk, its authority has decided to strictly monitor them by making identity cards mandatory from 8 pm to 7 am.

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The identity cards will be issued by the university. Identity proofs of others who enter the premises will also be screened. Their names, addresses, purpose of visit and the concerned university official whom they wish to meet will have to be spelt out clearly in the register kept with the security person. Vehicles entering the campus should bear stickers issued by the university.

Meanwhile, members of various student unions ranging from the majority SFI and FETSU to TMCP and ABVP demonstrated separately both within and outside the university campus demanding an end to ragging in the hostels. A strong police force stood by to ensure that there was no fracas.

The student unions shouted slogans blaming each other for bringing the situation to such a pass but there was no untoward incident. Hundreds of SFI activists staged protests near the main gate of the university and held the authorities responsible for the death of the 17-year old under graduate student of Bengali honours "as the authorities did not do the needful to check ragging in the campus."

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They were stopped by the police from proceeding towards the spot where a sit-in was on by Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) on the same issue. The TMCP alleged that its members, including its JU unit chairperson Rajanya Haldar were manhandled by SFI during a protest. Right wing ABVP also held a sit-in near the gate on the same issue.

Nine persons comprising former and current students of JU, were arrested for allegedly ragging and sexually harassing the teenaged Bengali honours student leading to his death after falling from a second-floor balcony of the main hostel building last week. They were remanded to police custody. The student fell around 11.45 pm on August 9 and died while undergoing treatment at a hospital the next day.