The Calcutta High Court on Friday has directed Jadavpur University to close all hostels during the ongoing Puja vacation, in a move aimed at tightening campus security and preventing the entry of outsiders. The university authorities must submit confirmation of compliance within 48 hours.
The order has been passed by a division bench of Justice Sujoy Pal and Justice Smita Das Dey in the backdrop of a third-year student’s unnatural death this month on the campus. Her body was found floating in a pond.
He order further instructed that hostels should remain locked until the vacation ends. The judges made it clear that hostel locks can only be reopened once the break is officially over.
To enforce the directive, police personnel from the Jadavpur police station will visit the campus to ensure that no hostel remains open. Authorities have also been allowed to seek police assistance to prevent outsiders from entering the university premises during this period.
The ruling came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) that raised concerns, including the demand for CCTV installation to strengthen campus security. The bench directed that once the vacation ends, trusted representatives of both the state government and the university should hold a meeting to review all issues, including CCTV surveillance. A final decision is to be taken after this discussion and a report on the measures must be submitted to the court at the next hearing.
Several PILs have already been filed over the years, demanding enhanced police presence and CCTV coverage to check the alleged infiltration of outsiders into the university.
“Security concerns at Jadavpur University have long been contentious. The recent mysterious death of Anamika Mondal, a third-year English Honours student, in a pond inside the campus, has reignited the debate. A couple of years earlier, another student’s unexplained death in a hostel had triggered widespread protests and demands for surveillance cameras, though those calls also faced resistance from sections of the students’ bodies,” said an official of the university.
Previously, the division bench of then Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya had ordered a ban on all events, both inside and outside the university campus.
Also read: Calcutta HC seeks state's response on 'The Bengal Files'
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