The state government on Monday decided to allot funds to Jadavpur University to appoint 30 security personnel and two security supervisors for the campus.
A higher education department official said they would provide the university with ₹7.6 lakh per month, enabling JU to pay salaries of the security personnel.
A JU official said that apart from setting up CCTV cameras, for which the state has already sanctioned ₹68 lakh, they needed to appoint more security personnel.
“The finance department has approved the proposal, which was forwarded to it,” an education department official said on Monday.
Metro reported on October 26 that JU had sought funds from the state government to appoint additional security personnel on the campus.
“Since we don’t have funds, given the monetary constraints, we approached the government for additional support,” said a JU official.
During a meeting held at the state secretariat Nabanna on October 15, following a prod from Calcutta High Court, the state government was informed about the proposal by the university.
The meeting was attended by JU pro vice-chancellor Amitabha Datta and acting registrar Indrajit Banerjee.
Although 30 security personnel will be hired for the two JU campuses — Jadavpur and Salt Lake, the primary task will be to raise the security level on the campuses.
Two students have died at JU in the past two years, and, in both cases, evidence was difficult to gather in the absence of human surveillance or CCTV coverage.
A public interest litigation demanding the deployment of armed security personnel on the campus was filed after the March 1 incident when a section of students mounted atop education minister Bratya Basu’s car and detained the minister for hours, demanding the resumption of the campus polls.
A JU official said the security personnel to be appointed would be unarmed.
After the March 1 incident, Kolkata Police wrote to the university for space to set up an outpost on the campus.
The police sought a “suitable area” measuring around 4,000 square feet near gate No. 4 of the university.
Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma told Metro on March 12 that the letter was sent to execute a 2014 Calcutta High Court order.
“The university will respond to the proposal on outpost following a discussion at the executive council, the university’s highest decision-making body,” a JU official said on Monday.
JU vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee told Metro: “The state government has allotted the funds. The security personnel would be appointed through the State
Sainik Board. The registrar would consult the state government about the appointments.”