NHRC issues notice to West Bengal Chief Secretary on Jadavpur University student death case

New Delhi [India]: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal calling for a report on the Jadavpur University student death case within four weeks.

“The Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal calling for a report on the matter within four weeks. It should include the reasons for the prima facie failure of the institution to take adequate steps to prevent ragging in accordance with the UGC regulation, and the steps taken or proposed to punish the perpetrators of the ragging including its abettors and sympathizers,” the NHRC said in a press release.

The NHRC has also asked the State Government to mention the measures taken to spread awareness about the menace of ragging amongst the Student Community and Teaching Associations throughout the State.

Observing the media reports on the incident, the NHRC said that it “indicates negligence, lack of supervision and inherent failure of the college administration” adding that if true, amounts to “violation of the human rights of the student”.

The Commission has noted that the Supreme Court in the case of the University of Kerala vs Council, Principals’ Colleges, Kerala [(2009) 7 SCC 726] has held that heads of institutions or members of the administration mandatorily be penalised for not taking timely action against ragging for failure to sensitize teaching / non-teaching staff or employees working in the hostels and messes, the press release mentioned.

A notice has also been issued to the West Bengal Director General of Police regarding the status of the criminal case registered against all the responsible students and teaching/ non-teaching staff of the college concerned as reported in the news report.

A further notice has been issued to the Registrar, Jadavpur University to submit a detailed report regarding the steps taken for effective implementation of the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee report, affirmed by the Supreme Court of India, to solve the problem of ragging in the University, the press release stated.

The NHRC took suo motu cognizance of a media report that a first-year student of Jadavpur University in Kolkata became a victim of ragging, and died on August 10 after falling from the second-floor balcony of the varsity’s hostel. Reportedly, the fellow students of the victim had tried to bring the matter to the notice of the Dean.

According to the media report published on August 11, the student had moved to the hostel barely two days before the incident on August 7 at the start of the academic session. Reportedly, he had called up his mother multiple times two days before he died expressing fear for his life and that he wanted to return home, the press release mentioned.