Police are trying to reconstruct the final hours of Jadavpur University student Anamika Mondal, who was found dead in a water body on the campus last week.
A murder case was registered on Monday after her family filed a complaint.
A team of senior officers — additional commissioner II Pranav Kumar, joint commissioner (crime) Rupesh Kumar, and deputy commissioner (south suburban division) Bidisha Kalita — visited the spot where Anamika’s body was found and surveyed the campus, focusing on two CCTV locations: near the arts faculty building and Gate No. 4.
First, a team comprising officers from Jadavpur police station and a forensic unit led by Kalita, arrived around 10am on Tuesday and left at 11.30am. A second team of senior officers toured the campus again from 2.30pm. Kalita also met acting registrar Indrajit Banerjee during the visit.
“The police had come for investigation and inspection purposes,” Banerjee told Metro.
A senior JU official said the police were also identifying potential locations for new CCTV cameras.
Sources said the police, now made a party to a public interest litigation (PIL) on JU, will file a report before Calcutta High Court on Wednesday regarding the installation of CCTV cameras on campus. This prompted Tuesday’s inspection to assess existing surveillance infrastructure and identify areas for improvement.
Kalita was seen walking around with a campus map and speaking to security guards. She left around 5.30pm.
A few weeks ago, Calcutta High Court ordered the installation of 70 CCTV cameras and the deployment of 37 unarmed ex-military personnel on the JU campus, following a PIL that flagged inadequate security. The court directed JU to identify camera locations in consultation with the state administration.
An officer said the existing security arrangements were inadequate, especially on a campus that has seen several incidents in the past requiring police intervention.
Investigators said they are currently collecting evidence and will then try to identify which students or staff members Anamika interacted with on September 11. Her parents had expressed suspicion about someone in her friend circle.
The police have already questioned at least three students who pulled her out of the water and took her to the hospital.
Anamika’s father, Arnab Mondal, demanded answers. “Had there been enough CCTV cameras, we would know what happened. The campus lacks both lights and cameras. After a student died two years ago, why didn’t the authorities act?” he said on Monday.
In August 2023, a first-year student died after being allegedly ragged at the JU Main Hostel. Following that incident, only a few cameras were installed at the university and hostel gates.