The internal probe committee of Jadavpur University ((JU) constituted in the wake of the death of a fresher submitted its probe reported on Tuesday wherein it suggested immediate rustication of four students of the prestigious university.
The first year student of Bengali honours had died on August 10 after falling from the balcony of a students’ hostel. It is suspected that he became a victim of ragging.
The probe panel has also suggested that the JU authorities should lodge FIRs against the six former students who were present at the students’ hostel at the time of the 'mishap'.
It also recommended suspension of 15 students for one semester, 11 students for two semesters and five for four semesters.
One current research scholar associated with the university should be barred from entering the campus for life after the completion of his research, the probe panel suggested.
The committee also said that a thorough inquiry should be initiated against the superintendent of the main students’ hostel where the mishap took place on August 10, especially on complaints of negligence on his part. If the complaints are found justified, disciplinary actions should be initiated against him, it suggested.
It is learnt that the internal probe committee submitted its report after recording the versions of as many as 140 witnesses. Besides video-recording of the verbal statements, the signatures of the witnesses were also taken on written statements in the matter.
Meanwhile, JU insiders said that during the second round of meeting with the representatives of the anti-ragging cell of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the university authorities faced a lot of uncomfortable questions to which they did not have any answer.
One such question was whether the JU authorities ever took any action against any student for his/her involvement in ragging, or whether any student against whom charges of ragging were proved has ever been suspended for a specific period of time.
The UGC representatives also expressed dismay over the fact that the executive committee meeting of the university had not been convened for quite some time now.