JU gives second-round clarifications to UGC on ragging death of fresher

Kolkata, Aug 19 (IANS) Jadavpur University (JU), on Saturday, forwarded its second-round of clarifications to the University Grants Commission (UGC) relating to the alleged ragging-related death of a fresher of the university.

Earlier in the week, the JU authorities had sent its first round of clarifications to UGC on actions taken by the university to prevent ragging and harassment of the fresher or first-year students within the university campus and students' hostels. However, dissatisfied with that clarification on August 17, the commission had sought further clarifications on 12 specific points, the reply to which had been sent by the JU authorities on Saturday.

According to the JU registrar Snehomonju Basu, the reply on the 12 specific points has been provided through 31 files attached with the reply. “Now it is up to the commission on whether they will be satisfied with our second-round clarifications,” she said.

In the second time UGC had sought JU’s clarification on whether brochures circulated by the university authorities to the fresher students contained the contact numbers of the ragging-helpline and anti-ragging committee of the university.

The commission has also questioned JU on whether it took undertaking from the students about understanding the punishments that involvement in ragging will attract. The commission also questioned whether the JU authorities got a separate undertaking from the guardians over the same.

The commission has also questioned whether JU authorities follow the practice of holding meetings with teachers, wardens, students’ representatives, guardians and local administration including police before the beginning of every academic year besides creating a separate hostel for the fresher or first-year students imposing restriction on senior students from accessing that.

Swapnadip Kundu, a first year student of Bengali honours, died under mysterious circumstances after falling from the balcony of a students’ hostel on the JU campus on August 10.