JU ragging death: WBCRC issues show-cause notice to university authorities

Kolkata, Aug 14

The West Bengal Child Rights Commission (WBCRC) on Monday issued a show-case notice to the authorities of Jadavpur University (JU) over the death of Swapnadip Kundu, a first year student who died under mysterious circumstances after falling from the balcony of a students’ hostel on the JU campus on August 10.

In the show-cause notice, the university authorities have been asked to explain the actions taken to implement the anti-ragging guidelines laid out by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and also the directions of the Supreme Court on ragging.

The JU authorities have been asked to submit a reply within two days as to why action should not be initiated against them for the purported failure to prevent ragging on the campus.

The show-case notice came on the same day of the filing of a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Calcutta High Court, seeking the court’s intervention in ensuring that the anti-ragging guidelines are strictly implemented, not just in JU, but in all the state universities.

In a statement issued by the WBCRC, the commission held the JU authorities responsible for not initiating any action against the senior students who are responsible for ragging their juniors and freshers.

WBCRC Chairperson Ananya Chakraborty has also questioned the non-existence of CCTV cameras on the university campus.

She also said that since the age of the victim student was less than 18, cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act should be initiated against the offenders.

The police have already arrested three accused persons, including two present and one former student of the university, in this connection. All three have been remanded to judicial custody till August 22.

The WBCRC has written to Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who by virtue of his chair is the Chancellor of JU. A similar letter has been forwarded to Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal.