Jadavpur University has directed that any students’ organisation or department planning an event on campus must submit an undertaking assuring that all prescribed noise norms will be strictly followed.
A circular issued on Wednesday states that if organisers use a sound system, they must provide details of the agency supplying it and ensure it is equipped with “noise limiters”.
The 10-point undertaking, which organisers must submit to a panel that will decide whether the event will be allowed, also states that they must ensure there is no “untoward gathering/untoward incident” during the event.
The circular states that power supply will be cut off if any programme continues beyond the stipulated hours.
Organisers must also undertake to set up any temporary commercial stalls only at locations designated by the university, and furnish details such as the number and size of the stalls.
The stalls must not obstruct the movement of people or vehicles. If they are set up in a parking area, organisers must circulate a notice to users of the space informing them of the inconvenience caused by the programme.
The directive was issued after a 13-member committee was formed following complaints from campus residents and those in adjoining neighbourhoods about noise during an event organised by a students’ body.
Earlier, events were organised after informing the registrar’s office and checking venue availability.
In September 2025, JU student Anamika Mandal drowned in a pond near Gate No. 4 while attending “Ruhaniyat”, an inter-college event organised by the Jadavpur University Drama Club that ran late into the night.
The programme during which Anamika drowned was scheduled from 4pm to 8pm in the university’s parking lot between September 10 and 12. The event was still on when her body was found in the water around 10.30pm on September 11.
Many JU officials and teachers had then acknowledged that programmes at JU routinely violated norms, triggering frequent complaints but no action.
Now, organisers must state in the undertaking that they are aware that any violation of the stipulated conditions will result in the suspension of power supply to the event.
Last week, vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee told Metro that the influx of vehicles during events increases the risk of accidents on campus.
“We cannot allow events indiscriminately. The committee will approve the applications after checking the details and will then decide on approval,” Bhattacharjee said.
On Thursday, JU’s acting registrar, Selim Box Mandal, said that an application by event organisers has to be forwarded by either the dean of students or the director of youth and welfare.
For any programme organised by a department, school or faculty, the application must be forwarded by the head of the department, the director of the school, or the dean of the concerned faculty.
Digging paver blocks is prohibited while installing stalls or setting up tables.
In April 2023, poet Srijato Bandopadhyay, a former student of Jadavpur Vidyapith, a school adjoining JU, and a resident of Selimpur near the campus, posted a social media message complaining about the deafening noise from loudspeakers at a JU fest.