JU’s temporary VC calls Anti-Ragging Committee meeting on first day

Shortly after taking on the role of temporary Vice-Chancellor at Jadavpur University on Monday, Buddhadeb Sau wasted no time. He quickly called a meeting of the Anti-Ragging Committee and went around the campus, including the hostels and most of the university grounds. This was in response to the Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that had been filed against the current administration and had reached the court.
Around 11 am, he arrived at the campus and started his work at Aurobindo Bhawan. He then went on to evaluate the Administrative Department. When talking to the media, Sau admitted that the campus grounds were not clean and well-maintained.
“I will take the initiative to clean them. Additionally, if necessary, we will make decisions about changing employee accommodations,” he stated. After the unfortunate incident involving the death of a Bangla undergraduate student, who brought attention to ragging incidents, it was revealed that some employees were provided housing in the boys’ hostel, while students had to wait their turn for rooms.
Sources informed The Daily Guardian that the Vice Chancellor has prioritized an Anti-Ragging Committee meeting for Monday afternoon. This step comes as the University Grants Commission expressed dissatisfaction with the initial report out of the four, they had requested weekly. The meeting is scheduled to commence at around 2 pm, with all department heads expected to participate, according to the sources.
After the student’s demise on August 9, it was also revealed that JU had been without a Vice-Chancellor (VC) for more than two weeks, during which time the Registrar was in charge. Presently, there is no permanent Vice-Chancellor. Given this circumstance, the departmental head of Mathematics, Prof. Sau, has been designated as a temporary vice-chancellor by the Chancellor and Governor, CV Anand Bose. The notification was released on Saturday.
In response to recurring reports of alcohol consumption on the university campus, the Vice-Chancellor has made the decision to clear the grounds of thick vegetation. “The campus garden holds numerous medicinal plants, and efforts will be made to preserve them separately. However, the dense vegetation will certainly be removed,” the source quoted Prof. Sau as expressing.
He further visited the different hostels and instructed the hostel in-charges to provide written details about the count of available vacancies. Based on this information, students will be assigned hostel accommodations. VC Sau assured that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure student safety.