Jadavpur University To Take Action Against Students Involved in 2023 Ragging Incident

Kolkata's Jadavpur University on Monday decided to impose disciplinary measures on students accused of conspiring in the ragging of a first-year student who tragically died in August 2023. The university's anti-ragging committee convened to discuss the case and has recommended that five identified students be “rusticated for four semesters” and permanently expelled from the university's hostels. These students, referred to as “boarders,” were determined to be present at the hostel on the night of August 9, 2023, and are directly linked to the criminal conspiracy surrounding the incident.

“These students have been identified from many depositions to have been present at the second floor, block A/2 JUMH (Jadavpur University Main Hostel), on the night of August 9, 2023, and are directly associated with criminal conspiracy to rag," noted the committee.

In addition to the five students facing severe penalties, the committee has also recommended that 25 other hostel residents be “rusticated for one semester” and expelled from the JU hostels permanently due to their involvement in abetting ragging. The anti-ragging squad (ARS) reported that some of these students failed to attend hearings or communicate their absences, concluding that “these students deliberately remained absent... in such a grave situation.”

The committee further mandated that all 71 senior residents of the main hostel submit a declaration affirming their non-involvement. They also emphasized the need for a sensitization camp. “Most of the hostel boarders had a very vague idea about what kind of torture or bullying can be identified as ragging," observed the committee.

In addition, disciplinary action has been recommended against three office bearers of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (Fetsu). The committee stated that these individuals were “part of the criminal conspiracy to rag” and did not inform the university authorities about the incidents. It suggested that two of the office bearers be “debarred from entry into JU premises for life,” while a third should undergo a separate investigation regarding his role as a research scholar.

Currently, 15 students who fall at the receiving end of these recommendations have taken legal action, prompting the university to delay the implementation of the punishments against them.

In August 2023, a 17-year-old first-year student at Jadavpur University tragically succumbed to injuries sustained during a ragging incident in the Main Boys Hostel. In response, police arrested 13 students, and the university formed an internal committee to investigate the case. The incident highlighted significant lapses in campus security, prompting the installation of CCTV cameras for improved monitoring. Additionally, first-year students were relocated from the Main Boys Hostel to the New Boys Hostel to prevent further incidents. This event raised serious concerns about the university's anti-ragging measures, leading to disciplinary actions against several students involved in the conspiracy and abetment of ragging.​