‘First-year student’s death could have been averted if JU followed UGC rules’

KOLKATA: A day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) sent a letter to Jadavpur University (JU) and sought an explanation within 15 days on why the UGC anti-ragging guidelines of 2009 were not followed on the campus, Union minister of state for Education Subhas Sarkar said that had JU adhered to the UGC guidelines, the death of the first-year undergraduate student might have been averted.

Showing the UGC letter to the media, Sarkar on the sidelines of ICC EdTech Summit in Kolkata on Tuesday, said the letter, dated September 12, identifies the clauses that JU failed to adhere to. For instance, the UGC’s guidelines require parents to sign students’ affidavits, a requirement overlooked by JU.

Additionally, the guidelines also state that first-year students should be assigned separate hostels, a directive that was not followed by the university, said Sarkar.

The Union minister claimed that the university had its first meeting on August 14 to discuss the death incident involving the first-year undergraduate student of the

Bengali department.

He had died after falling from the second floor balcony of the main boys’ hostel on the intervening night between August 9 and 10.

Highlighting the failure of surprise visits by the warden committee, the minister expressed concern about how things were handled, highlighting that the university’s administration has a lackadaisical attitude.

According to a source, the UGC has asked JU to explain the lapse and submit a report on their compliance with the guidelines within 15 days. Failure to do so may result in strict actions by the UGC.

In the past, the UGC had expressed dissatisfaction with the university’s initial report, which lacked details about conducting joint counselling for freshers and seniors within the first two weeks of the session.