JU Student Death Row: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Says University Report ‘Unsatisfactory,’ Inquiry Committee Head Resigns

Jadavpur University’s dean of the Faculty of Social Science Subenoy Chakraborty who headed the 10-member inquiry committee has resigned from his post today.

Jadavpur University Dean of Faculty of Social Science who headed the 10-member inquiry committee on student's death resigns from post

In the Jadavpur University student death matter, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has termed the University’s inquiry committee report as “unsatisfactory.” Speaking on the incident, the union minister termed the student’s death at Jadavpur University as ‘worrisome and unfortunate.’ He further said that the West Bengal government must implement what the High Court asks it to do. The Calcutta High Court will hear the petition filed by TMC MP and advocate Kalyan Banerjee which sought the court’s intervention into the student’s death issue, tomorrow, August 21, 2023. 

Notably, Education Minister Pradhan also attended the BJP’s core committee meeting on Jadavpur and South Kolkata Lok Sabha constituencies in National Library, Alipore. “Jadavpur University has been the country's prestigious institution but the incident that has come to light is worrisome & unfortunate. UGC has taken this matter seriously...no student has the right to do ragging. State govt must implement what the High Court has asked to do, it's their responsibility,” Dharmendra Pradhan was reported as saying by ANI. 

In the meanwhile, the dean of the Faculty of Science of the Jadavpur University, Subenoy Chakraborty, has resigned from his post, as reported by ANI. Chakraborty headed the 10-member inquiry committee which looked into the death of the first year Bengali Honours student at Jadavpur University. Swapnadip Kundu, a first year Bengali Honours student at Jadavpur University, died days after joining the university by falling from the second-floor balcony of the university main hostel building. Students at the university hinted that the deceased student was subjected to ragging at the campus. 

With the death of the student surfacing online, the University Grants Commission (UGC) asked the university to submit a report on the allegations of ragging and sexual harassment on the matter. The university formed a 10-member inquiry committee which submitted its report to the UGC last week. However, on August 17, the UGC in its response to the report said that the university has not taken proactive measures to stop ragging, and the commission is unhappy with the report. Later on August 17, the West Bengal government released a notification announcing the formation of a four-member fact-finding committee to look into the student’s death at Jadavpur University, and said that the committee will submit its report within two weeks.