Nov 10 – It’s been three months since death of a first-year student, but Jadavpur University still hasn’t taken any action against those found responsible for ragging in their investigation.
The internal committee’s report, stating that the student was targeted for ragging on the night of August 9 in a systematic and planned manner at the main hostel, has been circulating between JU’s anti-ragging committee and the anti-ragging squad for the past two months.
The university is being accused of delaying action. The father of the deceased student expressed disappointment, stating The Telegraph, “The university administration has failed us. Three months into the death, they could not take action against anyone. If this goes on, many more would meet the fate of my son.”
The university’s probe reportedly found several individuals responsible, including residents of the A-2 block, the dean of students, and hostel superintendents.
The father questioned, “What action has been taken against those errant officials?” The tragic incident occurred on August 9, where the 17-year-old was allegedly thrown off a second-floor balcony by senior students and passed away on August 10. He would have turned 18 on October 31.
JU’s anti-ragging committee, responsible for determining punishment, convened on October 31 not to take action but to request the anti-ragging squad to review findings due to “inconsistencies.” The squad had already examined the committee’s report on October 2, and after meeting again on October 4, they provided observations. However, it took the university nearly a month to present these observations to the anti-ragging committee. The committee subsequently decided that the squad would address the inconsistencies related to depositions and recommend comprehensive penal measures.
The student’s father believes that if JU had followed the UGC’s 2009 recommendation to segregate hostels for freshers, his son might still be alive. He mentioned the absence of surprise visits by the anti-ragging squad to the hostels and expressed that such visits could have prevented the tragedy. He expressed disappointment, stating, “Now they seem to be failing in taking action against the offenders.”
JU’s acting VC, Buddhadeb Sau, told Metro on Thursday, “We want to track those who are the actual offenders by addressing the inconsistencies in the report. We are awaiting a response from the anti-ragging squad, based on which the university will proceed.”
