Jadavpur University student death : WB principals' body calls for zero tolerance to ragging

Kolkata: A representative body of college principals in West Bengal has asked authorities of every college to ensure that not a single incident of bullying takes place on the campuses, a matter which is rocking the state after the death of a teenaged first-year student of Jadavpur University after alleged ragging and sexual abuse.

The All Bengal Principals' Council (ABPC) called upon universities, to which the colleges are affiliated, to form high-powered committees involving principals, and senior faculty members which will visit the campuses on a regular basis and ensure that not a single incident of ragging takes place in the colleges in future.

Referring to the death of the 17-year-old at the JU Boys' Main Hostel earlier this month, the council said such an incident in a premier institution is "totally unacceptable".

"We appeal to the Jadavpur University officials to stop any further escalation of unrest and immediately initiate steps to restore the student community's confidence. If required we from ABPC are ready to provide necessary support in their efforts," a statement signed by the Council president Shyamalendu Chatterjee and general secretary Indranil Kar said on Friday.

The Council requested principals of colleges to "ensure zero tolerance for ragging in their respective campuses". "We request universities to form high-powered committees involving principals, and senior faculty members. The committee should visit the various educational institutions on a regular basis and thus ensure confidence among the students," the statement said.

The Department of higher education may engage the services of university and college teachers and serving or retired principals for forming regular monitoring teams, which may have defined areas for monitoring the implementations of various measures initiated by the state government, UGC and others to stop the menace of ragging.

Acknowledging the problem faced by smaller higher educational institutions to arrange separate hostel buildings or blocks for freshers, the principals' council said the bigger institutions might first ponder over the move to allot accommodation to freshers in a separate hostel initially. The dead student, who was a resident of Bagula in Nadia district, was a first-year undergraduate student of Bengali Honours. He fell around midnight on August 9 from the balcony of the second floor of the hostel and died at a hospital the next day while undergoing treatment.