The father of the first-year Jadavpur University student who died after being allegedly ragged at the main hostel in August met education minister Bratya Basu on Wednesday and told him that the family was not happy with the university’s role.
“I appealed to the minister to ensure that we get justice. The university is dilly-dallying in taking action against those responsible for my son’s death. Our sir (Bratya Basu) is the education minister. My son died on a campus. I want him to ensure that those who ragged my son get exemplary punishment,” the father said after meeting Basu on the Assembly premises.
“No parent should suffer the torment that we have.”
Basu said: “The student’s family members are not happy with the university’s role. You all know they have sought our intervention. But we are not in a position to intervene because we are in a tussle with the chancellor. This is sub-judice at the Supreme Court. I don’t want to elaborate on this.”
“If the administrative set-up changes in the university, if those who assume charge seek our help, we will offer suggestions.”
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is the chancellor of all state-aided universities, handpicked Buddhadeb Sau as the officiating VC of JU.
Sau said: “The probe by the anti-ragging squad is getting disrupted because the internal committee (which investigated the death) is not sharing the deposition of students…. Besides, the higher education department has barred the university from conducting any meeting of the executive council…. If the council cannot meet, how can we take decisions?”
The first-year student was allegedly thrown off a second-floor balcony of the JU Main Hostel late on August 9. He died at a private hospital early next morning. On August 10, the university set up the internal committee.
The committee’s report said the student “was singled out for ragging” on the night of August 9.
It recommended various degrees of punishment for those it held responsible for the torment. But the report has moved between the anti-ragging committee and anti-ragging squad since.
A JU teacher had last week held a hunger strike on the campus to protest the delay in taking action.
“What the father has said is absolutely right. How can the university take so long in taking action? I am aggrieved,” said Iman Kalyan Lahiri, the professor who sat on a hunger strike last Thursday.