Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered that all students’ hostels attached to Kolkata’s iconic Jadavpur University will remain closed for the entire Durga Puja vacation.
The Division Bench of Justice Sujay Paul and Justice Smita Das De also directed the Jadavpur University authorities to ensure that the students’ hostels attached to the university are closed within the next 48 hours and remain closed till the last day of the festival vacation.
The Bench observed that the decision was necessary to ensure that outsiders do not get access or entry to the hostel during the festival vacation period.
The division bench also advised the Jadavpur University authorities to take the help of the police if necessary to prevent the entry of outsiders in the hostels during the vacation period.
The division bench also advised the Jadavpur University authorities and the West Bengal Education Department to hold a meeting after the festival vacation period to discuss and decide on measures to be adopted to ensure in-campus security, especially as regards the installation of CCTV machines within the campus.
Based on the decision taken at the meeting, the university will have to submit a report to the same division bench on the date when the matter will come up for hearing after the festival vacation at the Calcutta High Court.
To recall, on March 2 this year, State Education Minister Bratya Basu faced students’ agitations while he reached Jadavpur University to attend a function of Trinamool Congress-affiliated West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association (WBCUPA).
In that scuffle, Basu and two agitating students of the university were injured.
After that, public interest litigation was recently filed at the Calcutta High Court regarding security issues within Jadavpur University. Earlier, in the hearing of this case, the Calcutta High Court had said that no political personality could be invited to any function or seminar at Jadavpur University.
(IANS)
