Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said the report to the UGC by Jadavpur University, where a student died recently after allegedly being ragged and sexually harassed, was “not satisfactory”.
He asserted that the TMC government in West Bengal “cannot evade responsibility” for the incident.
The University Grants Commission had made certain suggestions on the anti-ragging system, the minister said, adding that these include the installation of CCTV cameras, a separate cell to deal with ragging cases, and a communication facility.
“The University Grants Commission has sought a response from the university on what steps it has taken to implement these suggestions. The UGC has taken the matter seriously, and we have also taken it seriously,” Pradhan said on the sidelines of a programme here.
There is no place for ragging in educational institutions, he said.
“The death of the student was unfortunate and it is a matter of concern. UGC is in touch with JU. The report to the commission is not satisfactory. In the wake of the incident, the commission will increase surveillance,” the minister said.
One more former student of Jadavpur University was arrested in connection with the death of the first-year undergraduate student, taking the total number of people apprehended in the case to 13, an officer said on Sunday.
The UGC had voiced dissatisfaction after getting the preliminary report from the university on the incident, labelling it as a “generic” one, an official of the statutory body said in Delhi.
A JU official said the university authorities have responded to queries “within
Proper campus security needed: JU Interim VC
Kolkata: Newly-appointed interim Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University Buddadeb Sau on Sunday said that the death of a student allegedly following ragging and sexual harassment is the responsibility of the varsity “as a whole” and a proper security arrangement is needed at the campus to maintain a healthy atmosphere. He described the death of the 17-year-old boy as very unfortunate and heartrending.
“The responsibility is of the whole university and not of any one person… A proper security arrangement has to be made to ensure that a healthy atmosphere is maintained in the university,” Sau said. Amid clamours by some quarters for the installation of CCTV cameras in every part of the university, he said that it is not that this is the only solution.
“We will have to see whether CCTV or any other technology like RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) will be effective or human surveillance will be more useful based on an assessment of security threats,” he said.