Kolkata, Oct 5 — A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Monday, directed the West Bengal government to ensure the safety of students on university campuses throughout the state.
While hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking adequate security measures within the university campuses throughout the state, the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai, observed that mere installation of the CCTV cameras within the university campuses was not enough, and that the state government should play a more proactive role in ensuring students’ safety on the campuses.
Several university authorities have already submitted their reports to the Calcutta High Court on the security measures adopted by them on campuses. Most of the reports mentioned that CCTV cameras have been installed within the campuses.
Reacting to these reports, the Division Bench made the observation that mere CCTV installations were not enough to ensure students’ safety on campuses.
The Division Bench also said that, besides ensuring students’ safety on the campus, proactive measures should be taken to maintain a proper academic ambience within the university campuses.
The Division Bench also observed that the university should be strict about not allowing any anarchy on campus. In this regard, the court called for special security focus at the Diamond Harbour Women's University. There should be no lapses in the security arrangements there, the Chief Justice observed.
On Monday, the Division Bench sought security-related reports from other universities, which have yet to submit these to the court. The next hearing on the matter will be on December 10.
Recently, there have been allegations of attacks by outsiders at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata. Clashes broke out on the SRFTI campus several times in a span of just a week.
Earlier, there were clashes between the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) within the iconic Jadavpur University (JU) campus.