The joint secretary of the UGC’s anti-ragging cell has asked Jadavpur University to submit by Monday the report of its inquiry into the complaint of ragging that allegedly led to the death of a first-year student.
The UGC has shared with the university a format which has to be followed while preparing the report.
According to the format, JU has to send details of the investigation conducted by the anti-ragging committee and findings of the probe. If any one has been punished, the university has to state in the report details of the punishment.
The format mentions “what constitutes ragging”.
A member of the anti-ragging committee said they would meet on Monday afternoon before sending the report to the UGC.
JU officials said the report of the university’s internal committee, which has been set up to probe the death, will also be sent to the UGC.
Vipin Kaushal, joint secretary of the UGC’s anti-ragging cell, wrote to JU registrar Snehamanju Basu on Saturday that the report of the anti-ragging committee has to be sent by Monday. Kaushal said in the letter he would visit the university on Wednesday.
This newspaper reported on Saturday that a day after the first-year student at JU died on Thursday, an anonymous complaint was lodged with the UGC’s anti-ragging helpline stating that the boy had been ragged.
The student was allegedly thrown from a second-floor balcony of JU Main Hostel late on Wednesday.
“We will comply with the deadline set by the UGC,” the registrar said.
The anti-ragging committee held its first meeting on Friday.
“Another meeting will be held on Monday afternoon. By Monday, we are expected to get an interim report from the nine-member internal committee that was constituted on Thursday to probe the death. The internal committee’s interim report, too, will be
sent to the UGC,” said a JU official.
Another official said the UGC has sought to expedite the inquiry by the anti-ragging committee by setting a deadline.
“Usually, such reports are sent within a week or so. But in this case, an early deadline has been set. Besides, it does not happen often that a senior official of the UGC is visiting the spot of occurrence. In this case, the joint secretary of the UGC’s anti-ragging cell is coming,” he said.
The UGC joint secretary mentioned in his communication that he will talk to the members of the JU anti-ragging committee, “warden” of the hostel where the deceased student stayed, faculty member assigned to the student “as per para 6.2 (h) of the UGC regulation on Curbing Menace of Ragging...”, and hostel mates and classmates of the deceased student.
Paragraph 6.2 (h) of the UGC regulation says: “It shall be the responsibility of the member of the faculty assigned to the group of freshers to coordinate with the wardens of the hostels and to make surprise visits to the rooms in such hostels, where a member or members of the group are lodged; and such member of faculty shall maintain a diary of his/her interaction with the freshers under his/her charge.”
