Jadavpur University, on Saturday, was back to doing what it does best after each death on campus.

The security guards at the gate were seen asking students to produce their identity cards.

Those who were driving in were being asked where they intended to go.

The university has scheduled an administrative meeting to discuss safety and security issues.

This will be followed by another meeting where authorities will consult students on the safety and security measures.

Almost an identical template was followed after a first-year undergraduate student died in the university’s main hostel two years ago, following ragging by senior students.

Nothing came of it.

Third-year English honours student Anamika Mondal was found dead in a pond on the campus on Thursday night. The cause of death was drowning, according to the preliminary post-mortem report.

When JU pro vice-chancellor Amitava Datta was asked what necessitated the meeting with students, he said: “This has been a tradition at Jadavpur University for some time. It has been a practice to share the agenda of every administrative meeting with students’ representatives.”

A JU professor said: “Too much consultation with the students comes in the way of ensuring any governance on the campus”.

A guard posted at JU’s Gate Number 4 said on Saturday morning: “We were told to check every person’s identity card before letting them enter the campus.

“We are also checking every vehicle, whether they have proper parking stickers issued by the university or not. We are even asking their purpose of visit.”

A second-year postgraduate student of the Bengali department said such checks “should be held round the year”.

The guards have been WhatsApped a copy of the circular so they can present it if anyone challenges the sudden imposition of the restrictions.

“Restrictions are imposed every time a tragedy strikes. If we insist on following the restrictions, student leaders protest. Unfortunately, the authorities also buckle under pressure,” another JU security guard said.

On October 12, 2023, the officiating vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor, registrar, dean of science, and other members of the university’s executive council at the time held a sit-in through the night on the main building’s portico after the students allegedly barged into their meeting and disrupted proceedings.

A council member said the students “tried to intimidate the authorities into accepting demands that sought to curb the role of the administration”.

English professor Manojit Mandal, the state higher education council’s nominee to the JU council, said the authority of the JU administration had “eroded”.

Instances of students misbehaving with teachers have become so rampant that in March, the Left-dominated Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) appealed to students “not to harass, assault or attack teachers”.

On Saturday, education minister Bratya Basu blamed the absence of a full-term vice-chancellor for the situation. “Now there is no VC, and the university has been left headless by a person who acted in violation of the Supreme Court orders. It’s a plan to create chaos in state universities. These young students are becoming victims of someone’s personal agenda,” Basu said when asked about the JU death.

He said: “In a university like Jadavpur, where chaos is quite natural, it’s challenging to run it without a VC. A permanent vice-chancellor is required to maintain discipline”.

In late March, governor C.V. Ananda Bose removed authorised VC Bhaskar Gupta, days before his retirement as a JU professor, and did not appoint anyone as Gupta’s replacement. JU has a pro-VC at the helm.

Minister Basu said: “There was a court order on the installation of CCTV cameras. We had discussions with the former VC, and the finance department has allocated funds. The money will be disbursed once a new VC is appointed.”