In response to the tragic incident involving the death of a first-year student at Jadavpur University (JU) last month, a four-member team from the University Grants Commission (UGC), India’s apex body for higher education, visited the JU campus on Monday. The purpose of their visit was to evaluate the anti-ragging measures implemented by the university authorities in the wake of the student’s unfortunate demise.
On August 9, the first-year student allegedly took his own life by jumping from a university hostel building, which was reportedly a result of ragging and sexual harassment he endured.
The JU interim vice chancellor, Buddhadeb Sau, stated that the UGC team conducted interviews and investigations during their visit, but the specifics of their assessment would be known only to UGC officials.
UGC had requested reports from JU multiple times
Prior to this visit, the UGC had requested reports from JU multiple times regarding the incident and the anti-ragging measures in place. However, the Commission expressed dissatisfaction with the reports provided by the university.
Last month, the UGC labeled the second report submitted by the university as “unsatisfactory” and indicated that they would seek a “detailed explanation and action” from the institution.
Previously, the UGC had criticized the university for submitting a “generic” report on the student’s death, highlighting a lack of “specific details” regarding the measures taken by the authorities to combat harassment on campus.
In a parallel development, the parents of the victim met with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat on Monday. The victim’s father expressed that the Chief Minister assured them of justice and pledged to ensure exemplary punishment for those found guilty. The police have registered a murder case based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, and 13 former and current students have been arrested in connection with the fresher’s death.
Additionally, the state government has established a helpline for receiving complaints related to ragging and formed a fact-finding team to investigate any lapses within the university.
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