The dean of students at Jadavpur University, who was summoned to Lalbazar on Wednesday afternoon in connection with the investigation into the death of the first-year student, was prevented from stepping out of his office by students who were demanding his resignation.
The dean, Rajat Roy, could not meet officers at the city police headquarters during the day.
A senior police officer involved in the probe said the protesting students’ decision to not allow the dean to step out of his office appeared like a “deliberate attempt” to delay the investigation.
Roy deposed before an 11-member internal committee set up by Jadavpur University to investigate the 17-year-old’s death. In the afternoon, he and registrar Snehamanju Basu were to leave for Lalbazar, where officers had wanted to talk to them in connection with the investigation.
However, around 2.45pm, over 50 visually impaired students and other students assembled under the banner of the Forum of Students Disability in front of the dean’s office in the vice-chancellor’s secretariat.
The students blocked the passage till the landing of the staircase demanding Roy’s resignation. They held him responsible for all the alleged cases of ragging on the campus during his tenure.
Pro-VC Amitava Datta and finance officer Gour Krishna Pattanayak tried to reason with the students saying their demands could be taken up later. They told the protesters that the dean of students should be allowed to leave office as he was required to meet police officers.
Their pleas, however, did not yield any results.
The students demanded his “immediate resignation” and blocked his way, prompting the registrar to leave for Lalbazar alone.
A few teachers affiliated to the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association have accused the police of “harassing” first-year students by detaining them at Jadavpur police station till early morning for the sake of investigation.
“We feel stopping the dean from visiting Lalbazar and making an issue out of the questioning of the first-year students are deliberate attempts to delay the police investigation,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
A JU official said it was unfortunate that the dean of students was not allowed to leave as this only stalled the progress of the probe.
“I am surprised why the students chose this particular day and time, just when the dean was to leave for Lalbazar, to protest,” a JU official asked.
Registrar Basu, who met senior police officers at Lalbazar, said: “We were asked about the university’s administrative set-up, including details and meetings of the anti-ragging committee, notices issued and awareness programmes.”
Juta secretary Partha Pratim Ray, who, too, was summoned to Lalbazar, said he was asked about the structure of the administration and the steps taken by the anti-ragging committee.
Asked about the allegation raised by a section of teachers affiliated to Juta regarding the questioning of first-year students, Ray said: “It was a message in one of our internal groups. Someone posted it on social media. The only point was that one of the students detained at the police station till 1 am fell ill and had to be hospitalised. I told the police about this today. They said they were not aware of this before.”
Clash
A clash broke out on the JU campus between TMCP supporters and supporters of the SFI and AIDSO. TMCPsupporters were allegedly stopped from entering the administrative building to submit a memorandum.