Jadavpur Student Death: CM Mamata Banerjee Launches Anti-Ragging Helpline For All Education Institutes

Students from any educational institute across West Bengal will be able to report incidents of ragging on the 24x7 helpline number - 1800 345 5678.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Launches Anti-Ragging Helpline For All Educational Institutes In The State

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched an anti-ragging helpline for all education institutions in the state. Students from any education institute across West Bengal can report any incident of ragging on the new 24x7 West Bengal Anti-Ragging Helpline - 1800 345 5678. The move comes following severe backlash on the West Bengal government following the death of a first year student at the Jadavpur University after being subjected to alleged ragging in the campus. 

Notably, the death of a first year Bengali honours student at the Jadavpur University has drawn severe concerns about learning ambiance in educational institutions in the state. The boy died days after joining the university by falling from the second floor of the main hostel building. Other students at the university hinted that the student was subjected to ragging at the university. 

With the tragic death of the student due to alleged ragging, the University Grants Commission (UGC) sought a detailed report from the university. The Jadavpur university administration formed a 10-member inquiry committee which submitted its report to the UGC last week. However, the UGC expressed disappointment at the report submitted by the inquiry committee. The UGC termed said that it was not satisfied with the report and said that the university has taken no proactive measures to curb ragging. 

UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said yesterday, August 21, that the UGC will soon write to the Jadavpur University seeking a detailed report on the death of the student at the varsity. “UGC (University Grants Commission) has found that the second reply sent by Jadavpur University is unsatisfactory. UGC will soon be writing again to the university for a detailed explanation and action. Ragging is a serious issue, and Jadavpur University must follow UGC regulations in letter and spirit to provide a safe environment for our students,” M Jagadesh Kumar was reported as saying by ANI. 

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also slammed the university report submitted to the UGC terming it as ‘unsatisfactory.’ Later, the Dean of Faculty of Science at Jadavpur University, Subenoy Chakraborty, resigned from his post. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government issued a notification on August 17 announcing the formation of the 4-member panel to look into the student's death at Jadavpur. The committee is slated to submit its report within two weeks.