Ensure academic environment is not impacted: JU Pro V-C

Kolkata: Days after a first-year undergraduate student died after falling from the second-floor balcony of Jadavpur University’s Main Boys’ Hostel, the varsity’s pro-Vice Chancellor Amitava Dutta requested the head of departments to ensure that the academic environment within the varsity is not affected.

Datta appealed to the HoDs, Directors of the Schools and through them to all the teachers to be with the students and hold classes regularly in their respective departments and schools. “Our university is passing through a very difficult phase at the moment following the tragic demise of a student admitted to the university. The investigation is going on and the truth will come out,” Datta stated. Ever since the incident took place, several student unions, students’ organisations and teachers’ organisations have been conducting rallies to raise their voice against ragging while questioning the authorities in connection with the incident. Demands on CCTV installations in the campus have also been raised by few organisations. It has been known from students of the university that soon after the incident, a large section of students from the Humanities section had boycotted classes. According to sources in the university, for the past few days, full-fledged classes have not been conducted. Few of the classes were also boycotted by the students soon after the incident. The source added that the departments are trying to conduct regular classes.

Furthermore, the professors and heads of departments had asked students to approach them or teachers in case of any problem. This included the incident when the mess at A1 hostel block was shut down because of insufficient number of boarders, and after intervention of the International Relations HoD, food was made available for these handful of boarders at the A2 hostel block.