Jadavpur University plans to install 30 additional CCTV cameras across areas outside its present surveillance network, including the open-air theatre, Subarna Jayanti Bhavan and the football ground near Aurobindo Bhavan, the acting registrar said.
Debajit Datta, who was appointed acting registrar last week, said the university was likely to conduct a security audit before identifying the exact locations for the new cameras. The main campus currently has 50 CCTV cameras, most of which cover the gates and the administrative headquarters.
“We have plans to install CCTV cameras in areas like the open-air theatre and Subarna Jayanti Bhavan. Cameras are also likely to be installed around the football ground near Aurobindo Bhavan, the university’s administrative headquarters,” Datta said.
He said the expanded network was intended to bring more parts of the campus under coverage. “The cameras we have mainly cover the gates and administrative headquarters. But a large part of the campus is outside the coverage areas. We need to bring them under CCTV coverage for the safety and security of students and others,” Datta said.
The proposal comes amid a dispute over political graffiti and security incidents on the campus. Students associated with the Revolutionary Students Front had written political slogans on the walls of the open-air theatre, including statements threatening violence against fascists. The graffiti was later whitewashed.
The open-air theatre was among the locations where the university authorities ordered the removal of graffiti following objections from chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. The action came days after alleged vandalism on the campus linked to a protest by supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on August 20. Earlier this month, the university had also asked the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to whitewash walls at the open-air theatre and other locations.
The proposed cameras have raised questions among some students about whether surveillance coverage has translated into effective intervention. Anushna Das, a postgraduate student, said she was trapped inside Aurobindo Bhavan after 1am on August 20 when ABVP supporters allegedly went on a rampage across the campus. She said cameras installed at the gates had recorded the people who entered the campus but questioned whether action had followed.
“The CCTV cameras that were installed at the gates caught who invaded the campus at 1am on August 20 and who enabled their raids. The ABVP supporters again tried to invade the campus around 2pm that day. Have we seen any action against the offenders based on the CCTV footage so far?” Das said.
The university handed over CCTV footage to the police after filing a first information report at Jadavpur police station following the incident. Asked about concerns that existing cameras had not ensured safety or led to action against alleged offenders, Datta said the university’s inquiry commission and the police investigation were still underway. The security audit is expected to guide the placement of the additional cameras.
