Jadavpur University has constituted a second committee to probe the alleged assault on two research scholars in December.
The step was taken on day 10 of a sit-in being held in front of the vice-chancellor’s office by students since April 4, demanding justice for the research scholars who were allegedly assaulted when the university was conducting “spot counselling” for BTech seats in December.
“Justice Syamal Kanti Chakrabarti, retired justice, Calcutta High Court, has kindly agreed to enquire into the incidents that took place in JU main campus on December 22, 2021…. Hon’ble Justice has been requested to submit the report within one month from the initiation of the enquiry,” says a letter signed by vice-chancellor Suranjan Das and pro-VC Samantak Das on Tuesday.
The letter is addressed to the protesting students.
The university had earlier said Justice Pranab Chattopadhayay, retired judge of the high court, would probe the allegations. “Since he (Justice Chattopadhyay) won’t be available, we approached Justice Chakrabarti,” VC Das told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
A JU official said the two scholars, both members of the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), were allegedly accused by the students’ union of the engineering and technology faculty (Fetsu) of having links with two men who were apparently offering engineering seats in exchange of money.
“Biswajit Das, one of the research scholars, had written to the university’s SC/ST cell on December 28 that a kangaroo court was set up in a students’ union room near the counselling centre and he was mentally and physically harassed by a section of Fetsu leaders,” said Sanjib Pramanik, TMCP unit president at JU. “Hopefully justice will be delivered finally”.
The other scholar is from the international relations department.
A JU official said the probe was delayed because the university was shut in January following a fresh surge in Covid cases. “Also, the students’ unrest last month over exam mode had kept the administration preoccupied.”