Former Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das said his efforts to impose discipline on the campus met with resistance from some of the people who are criticising him now.
Das was the JU vice-chancellor from July 2015 to May 2023.
He took charge after a sustained protest by students over four-and-a-half months forced the intervention of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and led to the resignation of his predecessor, Abhijit Chakrabarti, in January 2015.
Das shared with The Telegraph his experience in light of what has been happening since the death of a 17-year-old student in the university’s main hostel.
Excerpts from what Das said follow:
CCTV
After assuming responsibility at Jadavpur University in July 2015, I found that crucial decisions, especially concerning students, were being taken only after holding meetings with the stakeholders — students, teachers, officials.
In those meetings, the issues of installing CCTV cameras at strategic points across the campus, making I-cards mandatory and restricting the entry of outsiders were taken up. Whenever the proposals were mooted, I met with resistance from some particular quarters, and the plans had to be abandoned. Unfortunately, some of my current critics were present on such occasions.
Teachers’ role
Some of the teachers who used to attend such meetings, including those who are criticising me now, are aware of that resistance. It must be remembered that after I took over, CCTV cameras were installed in several departments as well as in the library. But so far as I remember, there was never a CCTV camera in the main hostel. The issue of installing CCTV cameras was also raised in meetings of the Executive Council (the highest decision-making body at JU), which were attended by some who are raising the matter now.
Outsiders
We installed boards at the gates so the entry of outsiders could be restricted. But the boards had to be dismantled as the efforts were met with resistance.
Disconnecting cameras
I thank the then chancellor and the state government for reposing faith in me to address the unsettled conditions at JU. To restore the confidence of the university community in the university administration, which was the crying need of the hour, I had then disconnected the CCTV cameras, but only in my chamber so that everyone could have free access to my office. It was a gesture that certainly proved its worth.
Normality was restored and during my tenure, the university reached heights of academic excellence. No untoward incident, as the present one, occurred during my tenure. There were student agitations but those were addressed collectively. After all, there is a qualitative difference between bureaucratic administration and academic administration. I make this point on the basis of my exposure to the international academic world as well as my working with national regulatory bodies.
Hostel
According to Jadavpur University statutes, the allocation of hostel seats or issues like segregation of the hostel are handled by a statutory body called the students’ welfare board. These decisions are not taken by the vice-chancellor. The UGC regulations to curb ragging were published in 2009, and I guess those who had helmed the office of vice-chancellor prior to me also continued with the task of allocation/segregation of seats in the hostels to the statutory board concerned.
But I do remember taking up with the board any complaint that I received about the allocation of hostel seats. I have also heard that long before I joined the university, a committee headed by a senior professor was constituted on the issue of the segregation of the hostel. What had happened to that initiative? Surely, my immediate and past predecessors can answer that. It may also be mentioned that so far as I remember, the format of the anti-ragging committee developed by my distinguished predecessors in the post-2009 period had been followed during my tenure.
Punishment revoked
I have heard that a decision on awarding punishment to two students was taken up by the Executive Council after they were found guilty of ragging a junior student (in 2013, during the tenure of Souvik Bhattacharyya as VC). I have heard that the punishment was eventually revoked. Perhaps members of then EC, including the government nominees, can explain why this happened. Perhaps if the punishment could be meted out, there would have been a minimum discipline in the hostels.
Fair probe
A most regrettable incident has happened. We all want a fair probe into the death of the first-year student. The guilty should be given exemplary punishment. Steps should be taken to ensure that such unfortunate incidents do not recur. We should not get into a blame game.