As Kolkata, and the country, still reels under the bitter reality of ragging that led to the death of a first-year student at Jadavpur University, a former pro-vice-chancellor of the varsity called for stringent punishment for the guilty but also warned against a witch-hunt for a top institution.
Siddhartha Datta, whose association with Jadavpur University goes back five decades — first as a student of engineering, then as a professor and finally as an administrative official — spoke at length to The Plurals about various aspects of ragging. Vacancies in key positions within the administration have made it difficult for the institute to deal with such situations appropriately, he said.
Countering ragging: Past vs present
Datta stressed that he was completely against ragging in any form and rubbished the theory that a milder version of ragging facilitates the relationship between seniors and juniors.
“Complaints about ragging had surfaced a few times while we were part of the administration. We were used to following a protocol; first through the anti-ragging committee, and then through the executive council (EC). Once the EC, which has representatives of all sections of the university including students, took a decision; we stood by that,” said the chemical engineering professor, who still frequents the campus for research purposes.
“While executing the decisions, we were gheraoed many times for long durations, often in excess of 50 hours, but we did not flinch or succumb to the unethical and unreasonable demands of students. We took stern decisions and even expelled the guilty from the campus and hostel,” Datta said.
Speaking about vacancies in top positions, Datta pointed out that JU has been functioning without a full-time vice-chancellor (before Buddhadeb Sau was appointed as officiating VC) since June, when Suranjan Das retired. “There is only one pro-vice-chancellor; the registrar is unwell and has not been coming to the campus for a while; the deans are often allowed to stay for a few months. There has been no EC meeting or even faculty council meeting for a long time. Clearly the overall administrative process has almost come to a standstill. How do you expect an administration like this to act appropriately, particularly in this trying time?” questioned the professor.
Datta pointed out that academic administration and general administration were poles apart and a campus cannot be run by policing.
Main boys’ hostel syndrome
As complaints about irregularities, including ragging, surface after the death of first-year Bengali honours student, Datta pointed out that the main hostel had always been a cause for concern but that the situation seemed to have worsened in recent times.
“Ragging by seniors has always been a way to flaunt power in the main hostel, but in my time as student or administrator I never came across complaints of such a scale. There was discord over different political ideologies as seniors tried to catch hold of juniors and influence them but nothing like this,” Datta said.
The former pro-vice-chancellor said students who have passed out should not be allowed to stay on in hostels. “I am completely against students staying in the hostel after passing out while many freshers do not get accommodation. The fact remains that applications from many students, most of them from rural or peri-urban areas, remaining pending as students who have passed out continue to occupy the seats by wielding their clout in mess committees. Many students from financially weak families are forced to pay a high amount and stay in PG [paying guest] accommodations because of this,” Datta said.
Separate fresher accommodation and install CCTVs
Despite UGC guidelines, freshers at Jadavpur University were allotted seats along with seniors till the recent incident. Datta admitted that earlier, too, freshers could not be separated from seniors because of opposition from students.
“Freshers should be kept in separate hostels. Earlier, this rule could not be enforced as both senior students as well as those who had passed out opposed it, I was in charge of our Salt Lake campus and tried to build a separate hostel facility for freshers but the construction was damaged. A senior university official had to be on vigil through the nights to ensure that the facility could be built but we could not do so on the main campus,” he said.
The campus has for long been divided over the installation of CCTVs. “There is a conflict between policy and necessity; but I personally feel, particularly considering the situation we are presently in, it is advisable to prioritise necessity and put up CCTV cameras at strategic locations of public interface,” Datta said.
Greater worry; cultural pushback
Datta pointed out that the oft-quoted mukto mon, mukto chinta (free mind, free thought) tag of Jadavpur University, is steadily getting lost and this would, sooner or later, hamper academics.
“Often, we talk about the culture of mukto mon, mukto chinta in Jadavpur. But ragging is an antithesis to free thought. People talk about free thought but do not act accordingly,” he said.
“This is not the Jadavpur I know. Those who created Jadavpur, the institution, they had plurality, free thought as the core. This culture was taken forward by several highly vibrant social platforms; but now you hardly find any active. Instead, perverted culture and ragging have sneaked in,” Datta said, adding that a small section of students had no right to defame the institution.
“The incident was so painful that I kept on thinking that whatever we learned, preached for 50 years, is lost.I felt so ashamed. The phase will pass sooner or later, but unless we can bring back the proper culture of Jadavpur University, the institution will be significantly impacted in future,” Datta said.
JU still one of the best
The academic excellence of JU lies in its plurality and free-flowing thought, which often encourages interdisciplinary research. es; and is bound to be affected unless the culture can be revived. JU remains one of the best universities in the state and ranks fourth in the country; the best among all state-level universities.
“We have so many problems and inadequacies — be it in funding or infrastructure — but still we are at the top because our research reflects the combination of free thought and academic excellence as pioneered by professor Triguna Sen, the first vice-chancellor of the university,” Datta said.
“I find many are condemning and trying to drag down the institution without knowing how it works. Ninety-five percent of the students and researchers work tirelessly to keep the university in such a place of eminence. Condemn the perpetrators, punish them. But do not defame the institution. If JU is hurt; Bengal will be hurt and so will the country,” said Datta, urging political parties to go beyond petty interests and act together to keep intact the pride and premier position of Jadavpur.
