Kolkata: The Jadavpur University (JU) has deployed 30 new security personnel and two security supervisors—all ex-servicemen—as part of a court-directed overhaul of campus security. Selected through the Rajya Sainik Board, they joined duty on Tuesday and began patrolling the campus alongside the existing security staff.
Vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya said the appointments were made in line with a Calcutta High Court directive. “According to the court’s order, 30 personnel have been selected through the State Sainik Board. The state government is providing financial support. A total of 120 candidates were sent, from which we selected 30. Two supervisors were also appointed,” he said.
The arrangement is expected to cost about Rs 7.6 lakh per month, to be funded by the state government. The security personnel, appointed on a one-year contractual basis, will work in three shifts with 10 personnel in each. They will patrol unarmed.
The move comes amid renewed scrutiny of campus safety. The Calcutta High Court is hearing a petition on alleged security lapses relating to education minister Bratya Basu’s reported harassment during a campus visit in March. The university has also faced criticism following a series of incidents, including the death of a first-year student after alleged ragging in the main hostel in August 2023 and the drowning of a student on campus in September.
Alongside the personnel deployment, the university has initiated steps to strengthen surveillance. A project to install 70 CCTV cameras—50 on the Jadavpur main campus and 20 at the Salt Lake campus—has received state funding of Rs 68,62,663. A work order has been issued to Webel Technology Limited last week, and installation is expected to begin soon.