Jadavpur University will seek the opinion of an inquiry committee before deciding whether to file a police complaint over the alleged unauthorised release of CCTV footage from recent campus violence, Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya said on Tuesday.
The footage, purportedly recorded during clashes on August 19 and 20, was allegedly circulated to several news channels, according to the ABVP. The channels subsequently aired clips showing parts of the violence and damage to the university’s emblem at Gate No. 4.
Bhattacharya said the university would first consult the probe panel headed by a former Calcutta High Court judge. “We are seeking the committee’s opinion, and the university will take a decision (about making a police complaint) after hearing its view,” he told PTI.
The inquiry committee will examine the full sequence of events, including the August 19 clash and the following day’s developments, the vice-chancellor said. The university has not yet announced whether the footage was accessed or shared by an authorised person, nor has it identified any individual responsible for the alleged leak.
The CCTV controversy follows violence linked to a general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union. Members of the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Left-leaning student groups clashed on the campus, leaving several students injured. Both sides accused the other of bringing outsiders into the university.
A related confrontation took place on August 20, when SFI and ABVP supporters scuffled with police while attempting to enter the campus from opposite ends of the same road. Police struggled to keep the groups apart during the melee, in which the university’s emblem, designed by artist Nandalal Bose, was pulled down from Gate No. 4.
The university’s response places the inquiry panel at the centre of two connected questions: what happened during the clashes and how recordings from a controlled campus security system reached external organisations. The vice-chancellor said the panel’s views would cover the “entire chain of events” before the university decides its next legal step.
Alongside the inquiry, Jadavpur University has announced tighter entry controls. Identity cards will be required for entry between 7 pm and 7 am on weekdays, while access will be closed on Sundays and holidays. The measures are intended to strengthen security after the violence and limit unauthorised movement on the campus.
The university’s decision on a police complaint will follow the inquiry committee’s assessment of the clashes, the alleged CCTV leak and the subsequent damage on campus.
