Female student's death: JU to fence water bodies on campus

Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) Jadavpur University has decided to fence the waterbodies in the sprawling main campus area at the earliest and make better lighting arrangements in the entire stretch, a senior university official said on Tuesday.

The move follows the drowning of a 21-year-old female student, Anamika Mondal, during a cultural programme by the Drama Club run by the Arts Faculty Students' Union on the night of September 11. She was declared brought dead at a local hospital at around 10:30 pm.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Amitava Dutta said, "Despite fund constraints, it has been decided at an emergency meeting, convened by the university, that the sides of water bodies inside the campus will be fenced as soon as possible to prevent anyone from going near the waterbodies and prevent any untoward incident." "We will also ensure that there is enough lighting arrangement in the entire campus for the safety of every stakeholder, including students. But the lighting must be done in an eco-friendly manner so that the flora and fauna inside the green campus area are not affected," Dutta said.

To a question, the Pro-VC said they would welcome any CSR initiative for fencing of the water bodies.

Another official said the university will also mull over the proposal to form a disciplinary committee for students to have their representation, which will "only step in cases of inappropriate behaviour or unlawful activities on the campus," and take up the issue with higher authorities.

"However, there are many who think forming a disciplinary committee for students will not serve any real purpose till the security measures are implemented and the core issue of addressing security loopholes and checking entry of outsiders in the campus after dusk is not regulated. Most students are against unlawful activities," he said.

Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) general secretary Partha Pratim Roy said, "Raising funds is the biggest constraint as the state government is yet to allocate money even for installing CCTVs or recruiting more security guards. We don't know from where the university will get the money to undertake permanent fencing work along the edges of waterbodies." "There have been instances of concrete slabs falling on tables in different buildings inside the campus, and this might cause grave physical harm to students, faculty and the staff. But the university could not undertake repair work on those buildings due to paucity of funds," Roy said.

To a question, Roy said that as many evening classes are held in JU till 9 pm and many researchers work till late evening hours, it is not feasible to close down the campus after 8 pm.

He said the schedules for organising cultural fests should be intimated to the varsity authorities and should not extend beyond stipulated hours.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Detective department officials visited the spot and talked to the security guards to know what exactly happened between 10 and 10.30 pm on that fateful night.

Alleging that their daughter was murdered, parents of the Jadavpur University English Literature student, who was found unconscious in a pond inside the campus on the night of September 11 and declared dead at a nearby hospital, met Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma and other officers on Monday.

The parents later lodged an FIR at Jadavpur police station. PTI SUS RG