Jadavpur University Teachers Protest Delay in Punishing Culprits in Ragging Death Case

Teachers at Jadavpur University expressed their worries while writing to the acting vice-chancellor of the university over the "inordinate delay" in disciplining those found guilty of ragging a deceased first-year student after an internal investigation.

"Excessive delay in imposing punishment has raised serious concerns on the role and interest of the administration to curb ragging in the university," the instructors said in their letter.

According to the lecturers, despite a "series of meetings of the anti-ragging committee and an anti-ragging squad of the university," no disciplinary action has been taken as of yet.

They have threatened to start a protest in response to what they described as "a section of the administration's motivated inaction to curb ragging."

Three months have passed since the first-year student's death on November 10, but Jadavpur University has not yet taken any formal action against the individuals it determined to be accountable for the ragging and the student's subsequent demise.

On August 9, the student was reportedly hurled from the JU Main Hostel's second-floor balcony. Early the following morning, he passed away at a private hospital.

The institution quickly formed an internal committee to look into the tragedy.

According to the committee's findings, on the evening of August 9, the student "was singled out for ragging" at the main dormitory, and the ragging "was carried out in a systematic planned manner." For those found guilty, the panel has suggested varying degrees of punishment.

"JUTA (Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association) notes with deep concern that the disciplinary action against the convicted persons in the death of a first-year student has not yet been taken in spite of series of meetings," reads the letter from the protesting teachers, which is signed by Parthapratim Roy, general secretary of the teachers’ association.

"In this context, JUTA demands immediate punishment of identified guilty persons using the institutional rules and regulations, failing which serious legal measures will be initiated against the administration to ensure social justice," reads the letter, which was emailed to the officiating VC on Tuesday. Additionally, JUTA will organize the interested parties to start a campaign against the deliberate inactivity on the part of the government to stop ragging.

Ray said that while the undergraduate student died three and a half months ago, the institution has not been able to hold those responsible accountable.

"In its meeting on September 15, the anti-ragging committee approved the internal committee's findings in principle. However, nothing has changed since then," he said to The Telegraph.

The report travels back and forth between the anti-ragging squad and the anti-ragging committee in an attempt to resolve any discrepancies. The college is taking its time. "Justice postponed is justice denied" is a lesson we must never forget.

When asked about the reason for the delay, presiding VC Buddhadeb Sau stated: "One of the discrepancies was that an internal committee was assigned the task to investigate the death instead of the anti-ragging squad. The team has been given permission by the UGC to carry out this kind of inquiry. Furthermore, I had informed a police official present at the most recent anti-ragging committee meeting in early November that the university should be permitted to review the depositions of the twelve students who are now in jail. The deposition will assist us in locating the real perpetrators. Since the police rejected our petition, we intended to take the matter to the highest court.

On August 20, ten days after the internal committee was established, Sau was named officiating VC.

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