The Calcutta High Court has directed all state-aided universities in Bengal to submit statements on student campus safety by December 1, after recent incidents at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and Jadavpur University raised concerns over security on educational campuses.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai issued notices to the universities while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Rishav Saha last year on student safety. The matter was taken up on Monday.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Ritankar Das, referred to the recent vandalism and attack involving students at SRFTI. Supporters of the Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Manch had attempted to force their way through the institute’s gates on Sunday. Police prevented the crowd from entering the campus, but bottles and stones were allegedly thrown at students and teachers inside, according to the report placed before the court.
The incident was the second disturbance at SRFTI after a clash on September 27 between students and members of a right-wing group that had organised an event at an institute auditorium. Das told the court that the latest incident required urgent attention. The Chief Justice verbally remarked that the SRFTI issue should be treated on an urgent basis.
The petition has also referred to violence at Jadavpur University in August. During the intervening night of August 19 and 20, a large group of outsiders allegedly entered the campus and created what the petition described as “fear and insecurity” among students. The group allegedly attempted to set fire to Aurobindo Bhavan, the university’s administrative headquarters, and threatened the lives of students and others on the premises.
The court had previously said that ensuring student safety on university campuses was the responsibility of the state. It has also urged authorities to pay attention to Diamond Harbour Women’s University, the only state-aided women’s university in Bengal, and ensure the safety of its students.
The proceedings place the security of state-aided universities within a wider administrative responsibility rather than treating individual campus incidents as isolated events. The notices seek statements from the universities on the safety conditions and arrangements on their campuses, although the report does not specify a common format or list of measures that institutions must submit.
Advocate General Surajit Nath Mitra told the bench that the Bengal government was committed to ensuring the safety and security of students on university campuses. The division bench had earlier asked the state and universities not to treat the public interest litigation as adversarial, and said the court would intervene if the state failed to discharge its responsibilities.
The case will be heard again on December 10, after the universities’ statements are due on December 1.
