The death of a third-year English honours student by drowning on the Jadavpur University campus late on Thursday has again exposed the institution’s poor track record in ensuring student safety.
In spite of repeated promises following previous incidents, the university has failed to implement basic security measures, including restricting outsider access, enforcing event time limits, making ID cards mandatory at gates, or installing comprehensive CCTV coverage across the campus.
Anamika Mondal was attending “Ruhaniyat,” an inter-college event organised by the Jadavpur University Drama Club. The programme, scheduled to run from 4pm to 8pm at the university’s parking lot from September 10-12, was still ongoing when her body was discovered around 10.30pm on Thursday.
According to campus sources, Anamika went to the washroom around 10pm, walking along a concrete path beside a water body near Gate 4, where she accidentally fell. The water body is approximately 14 feet deep, and the washroom is located behind the arts faculty students’ union
Safety lapses
Programmes at Jadavpur University routinely exceed their scheduled hours and breach sound limits on campus, a varsity official acknowledged. The problem has become so persistent that residents of neighbouring areas have filed complaints.
“The student might have died in a freak accident. But questions are being raised about why the university cannot ensure programmes end within scheduled hours,” said Manojit Mandal, a professor of the English department.
This marks the second drowning death on campus in recent years. In March 2023, former architecture student Md Asif Mondal drowned in a partly fenced lake near the railway station boundary after celebrating Holi. University authorities promised to fence the entire lake, but never followed through.
Noise violations
The university has repeatedly struggled with sound violations. In May 2023, then-registrar Snehamanju Basu issued a notice declaring the campus a “silence zone” with sound limits of 50 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night, following complaints from research scholars, faculty, and nearby residents.
Poet Srijato Bandopadhyay, a former Jadavpur Vidyapith student and Selimpur resident, highlighted the issue on Facebook in April 2023, coinciding with the engineering faculty’s Sanskriti festival. Despite these notices, noise limits continue to be violated.
Admission of failure
Pro-vice-chancellor Amitava Datta admitted on Friday that the university has failed to maintain campus discipline. “It is true that after an incident happens, we try to enforce some discipline. After some time, the vigil drops,” he said. “But maintaining vigil cannot be the sole responsibility of the university administration. Teachers and students all have to cooperate.”
Following Thursday’s tragedy, the university issued another notice — its typical response — prohibiting trespassing, requiring vehicle stickers for campus entry, and banning alcohol and other substances. The university issues such notices periodically with limited lasting effect.
The drowning incident has renewed calls for comprehensive CCTV surveillance and additional security personnel. Some cameras were installed following a ragging death at the main hostel in August 2023, but coverage remains incomplete.
On August 11, the university’s executive council decided to install 70 CCTV cameras across both the Jadavpur and Salt Lake campuses — 50 on the main campus and 20 in Salt Lake. However, some student groups have consistently opposed such measures.
“We would urge the state government to provide the required support so safety and security on campus can be ensured,” said JU professor Rajeshwar Sinha.
Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association secretary Parthapratim Roy emphasised the urgent need for expanded surveillance and security personnel to prevent future tragedies.
