Kolkata: While flagging a leadership vacuum that has left Jadavpur University (JU) “vulnerable” to security lapses, Education Minister Bratya Basu on Saturday said stalled measures, including the recruitment of guards and installation of CCTV cameras, would proceed once a full-term vice-chancellor is appointed. The minister’s remarks followed the death of Anamika Mondal, a third-year English student who fell into a water body inside the campus on Thursday night, reigniting demands for stronger surveillance. “The court has already ordered CCTV installation, funds have been sanctioned, and discussions had begun with the then V-C. But communication has stopped since the post fell vacant. Once a permanent V-C is appointed, I believe the court’s orders can be implemented fully,” Basu said. He stressed that JU, being a “sensitive” institution, required stable leadership to restore order and discipline. “If a university does not have a V-C, especially one like Jadavpur, there is bound to be disorder. Still, I thank JU for maintaining its academic excellence in the NIRF ranking, unlike Calcutta University, which slipped in its pursuit of political loyalty,” he added.
Security lapses at JU have repeatedly come under the scanner. In March 2023, a former student drowned in a campus water body. In August the same year, a first-year undergraduate died in a ragging-related incident at the main hostel. On March 1 this year, Basu himself was detained by a section of students and his car vandalised. The latest death has revived safety concerns. Without naming him directly, Basu blamed the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of all state-aided universities, for keeping JU “headless”, alleging this was part of a deliberate attempt to destabilise institutions. “This is a larger plan to create anarchy in universities,” he said.
On Friday, JU Pro-V-C Amitava Dutta admitted that the recruitment of security guards had been stalled in the absence of a full-time V-C. The university currently has 78 permanent guards against a sanctioned strength of 130, along with 30 contractual guards. The Executive Council has cleared the hiring of 30 more guards and the installation of 70 additional CCTV cameras at 50 locations at an estimated cost of Rs 68 lakh. While demanding a full investigation into the incident, the bereaved student’s parents also pressed for tighter surveillance on campus.