Kolkata, Sep 12 (IANS) The body of a female student of Kolkata’s iconic Jadavpur University (JU) was recovered under mysterious circumstances beside a water body within the university campus late Thursday night.
The victim is a third-year student majoring in English Literature at the university. While the body was recovered a little after 10 p.m. on Thursday, a cultural programme was ongoing within the university campus by the members of Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPI(M).
Although the cultural programme was stopped immediately after the information surfaced about the recovery of the students’ body, questions are being raised about whose permission the same programme was continuing within the campus after 10 p.m.
After the body of the student was recovered, it was immediately rushed to the nearby K.P.C. Medical College & Hospital, where she was declared dead.
The body has been taken for post-mortem purposes, following which the real reason for her death could be ascertained. Now questions are being raised on what prompted the deceased student to reach the deserted place beside the water body within the campus during those late hours, and that too when a cultural programme was taking place within the campus.
The police have started an investigation into whether she went near the water body, after being called by someone, or went voluntarily to meet someone.
“Since microphones were used during the cultural event and the students and alumni present were dancing and singing, even if the student had shouted, it could not have been audible to others,” said an insider at JU.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the students’ wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress, had blamed the lackadaisical approach of the JU authorities in ensuring proper internal security arrangements within the university campus as one of the main reasons behind the mysterious death of the said student.
“The University has not had a permanent vice-chancellor for a long time. Various anti-social activities take place on the Jadavpur campus until late at night, evading the surveillance of the authorities. We had been constantly demanding the installation of CCTV machines and permanent police posting within the campus for a long time. Those who are against the installation of CCTV and police posting cannot avoid responsibility for this unfortunate and unnatural death,” said TMCP’s state president in West Bengal, Trinankur Bhattacharya, on Friday morning.
SFI’s national general secretary, Srijan Bhattacharya, said that they were shocked by the incident. “Only Trinamool can have a mentality like this and talk about political scheming on this unfortunate incident, and that too at this moment. There was CCTV at R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital. But did it prevent the rape and murder of the lady junior doctor there? There were CCTV cameras at Kasba Law College. But it did prevent the rape of a student there? Were the Leftist students responsible for the R.G. Kar and Kasba Law College mishaps?” Bhattacharya questioned.
–IANS
src/dpb