Jadavpur University puts 10pm curfew on hostellers; no entry to outsiders
Jadavpur University (JU) has disallowed hostel residents from leaving their hostels after 10pm and restricted the entry of outsiders into the dormitories as part of a host of rules issued to shore up on-campus security
Jadavpur University (JU) has disallowed hostel residents from leaving their hostels after 10pm and restricted the entry of outsiders into the dormitories as part of a host of rules issued to shore up on-campus security, more than a month after a student was found in a pool of blood outside the institution’s main hostel.
Residents must return to their hostels by 10pm every day, said the rules, issued by the dean of studentson Wednesday.
“The hostel gates will be closed from 10pm to 6am. Boarders will have to take prior permission from the hostel superintendent in case they need to stay outside,” said a professor who asked not to be named.
On August 9, a 17-year-old undergraduate student fell from the second-floor balcony of the main hostel building on campus around 11.45pm and died hours later. The boy was severely ragged and sexually assaulted in multiple rooms on the night he died, an internal probe panel set by the university found.
However, the panel was unable to conclude whether he died by suicide, was pushed from the balcony, or if it was an accident.
A police investigation is underway as well, and a murder case under the Indian Penal Code’s (IPC) Section 302 has been registered on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s father. So far, 13 students — seven current and former students — have been arrested in connection with the case.
According to the notice,“Boarders are allowed to remain with their respective visitors in the visitor’s room or recreation room only. Visitors must carry their ID proof and register their names, address and mobile number in the hostel visitor’s register.”
“First-year students have already been shifted to a separate hostel soon after the incident as per UGC (University Grants Commission) guidelines. We are also beefing up security in the hostel and university. Security personnel are being posted and CCTV cameras will also be installed soon,” said the professor cited above.
The internal committee has already recommended expelling four university students, who are among the 13 arrested for the role in the 17-year-old’s death. .
