Jadavpur University has prohibited first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students “from staying in the hostel in any capacity before the formal allotment of hostel seats” by the dean of students.

The dean of students, Rajat Roy, issued a notice on September 7, drawing lessons from the death of an undergraduate student last year who had been staying in the university’s main hostel before the formal allotment, coming under the influence of a former student who, too, had been staying in the hostel illegally.

The undergraduate student was allegedly ragged in the hostel hours before his death in August last year.

The notice says: “....the newly admitted first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students are strictly prohibited from staying in the hostel in any capacity before the formal allotment of hostel seats by the office of the dean of students. Failure to adhere to this regulation will result in action being taken as per the hostel rules and anti-ragging rules and regulations against both the unauthorised occupants and the existing hostel boarders (residents) who are found in violation.”

The university has asked the existing hostel residents not to permit outsiders or non-residents to enter their rooms without the university authorities’ permission.

“Should any boarder (resident) accommodate outsiders or non-boarders (residents) in the hostel without permission, they will face disciplinary action including potential debarment from the hostel,” the notice says.

“Additionally, if any outsider or non-boarder (non-resident) is found inside the hostel premises without authorisation during an inspection, such individuals will be dealt with according to the university’s existing regulations and acceptable laws”.

The father of the deceased student told Metro that after Sourabh Chowdhury, who identified himself as a resident of JU Main Hostel and told him that his son could stay as Chowdhury’s “guest” in the hostel, he allowed his son to stay as a guest in the hostel even as the hostel allotment by the office of the dean of students was pending.

“We struck up a conversation with Sourabh while we were eating in a canteen outside gate number 4 of the university on August 6 last year. During the conversation, Sourabh convinced me that my son could stay in the main hostel as his guest pending formal allotment. It was a grave mistake to trust him,” the father told this newspaper.

According to the findings of the university’s internal probe, the first-year student was ragged during the period he stayed as a guest in the main hostel between August 6 and 9 by current and former students.

He fell from a balcony while being ragged on the night of August 9 and died the next morning after being admitted to a private hospital in Jadavpur.

Sourabh, a former student at JU who was arrested in connection with the death, had cleared his master’s in mathematics in 2022 but stayed on at the hostel. He is still in custody.

A JU official said: “We have learnt our lesson from the tragedy which unfolded last year. In August, the VC had announced that the main hostel would only accommodate third-year or older students. The first-year and second-year students will have separate hostels on the main campus. Hostel wardens will be appointed from among JU teachers for each year.”

“Now the dean has specified that first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students are prohibited from staying in hostels in any capacity before the formal allotment.”

The September 7 notice says: “Boarders may only meet their visitors in the designated areas such as the visitors’ room.”