The high court on Tuesday sought a report from the principal secretary of the higher education department apprising it about measures the state government has taken to ensure the safety of Jadavpur University students.

The order followed a public interest litigation (PIL) demanding the deployment of security personnel carrying arms on the JU campus. The lawyers for petitioner Subham Das informed the court that, in light of recent incidents on the campus, security personnel with arms should be stationed there.

Lawyers Arko Nag and Biswarup Bhattacharya requested the bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De that Kolkata Police be ordered to ensure special surveillance on the campus. They also requested for additional CCTV cameras on the campus.

The division bench said: “The state government will assess the requirement of security arrangements by the police on the campus, the number of CCTV cameras to be installed, and the places where they will be set up. The state government will report to the court within 15 days.”

On August 11, the JU executive council decided to install 70 CCTV cameras on its campuses in Jadavpur and Salt Lake On Tuesday, the court said that the security of JU teachers and students must be ensured, and the state government and the UGC will help the university in this regard.

Representing the university, lawyer Ritzu Ghosal, told the court that JU held a meeting on August 11 and had drawn a budget of ₹65 lakh needed to install the CCTV cameras. The university is holding discussions with Webel regarding the cameras.

“The university will seek suggestions from the principal secretary of the higher education department about installing the CCTV cameras,” the court said.

The PIL was filed days after a section of students demanding campus elections climbed the education minister’s car near the open-air theatre when he went to attend an event on March 1 and heckled him.

The minister’s car allegedly hit Indranuj Roy, a JU student, while exiting the campus. Manojit Mandal, an executive council member who was also allegedly harassed by protesters the same day, said the areas identified for surveillance include the open-air theatre, pharmacy building, and areas that line the water bodies.

On March 12, Kolkata Police sought space from JU to set up a police outpost and barracks on the campus to “maintain a safe and secure environment... for smooth academic activities”.

The Jadavpur police station officer-in-charge sent an email to the JU registrar saying the outpost was essential. JU’s acting registrar, Indrajit Banerjee, told Metro on Tuesday: “We wrote to the education department seeking ₹65 lakh to install the CCTV cameras and ₹96 lakh to engage 30 ex-servicemen as unarmed security personnel on the campus.”