Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday held a meeting with officiating vice-chancellors of different state-run varsities in the wake of the violence at the Jadavpur University, and it was decided that crisis management cells would be set up to monitor and respond to potential conflicts on campus.
Officiating VCs of 18 universities took part in the virtual meeting, which lasted more than an hour.
Statement Of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose
“The meeting discussed the functioning of different universities in the wake of developments at JU. The governor, who is the ex-officio chancellor of state-run universities, made some recommendations to ensure academic and administrative works are not disrupted,” said an officiating VC who was in the meeting.
It was recommended in the meeting that the monitoring cells, counselling cells and disciplinary committees be made truly operational as per their mandate, he said.
It was decided that as a short-term measure, crisis management cells would be set up in different universities with dedicated teams to monitor and respond to violent situations, some of the officiating VCs who attended the meeting said.
It was also decided that more CCTV cameras will be installed and more security personnel will be deployed, they said.
In the long term, conflict resolution mechanisms and mediation processes would be developed to address disputes and grievances, they said.
It was also agreed to develop mental health support services for students, faculty, and non-teaching staff, they added.
The meeting also decided to develop mobile apps for emergency updates for students, faculty, and staff to cope with emergencies, threats, or concerns. There was also a need to use AI to monitor social media, online forums, and other digital platforms for potential threats.
The meeting stressed the need for close coordination with law enforcement agencies, government departments, and emergency services to ensure timely response and support for any situation.
JU’s officiating VC Bhaskar Gupta, who is in hospital over some ailment, could not attend the meeting.
Demonstrations at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, demanding the long-pending students’ union elections escalated on March 1 when Education Minister Bratya Basu visited the campus to attend an event. Amid attempts to gherao, Basu’s convoy allegedly grazed past two students, injuring them.
Basu, however, claimed that he was injured when the protesting students vandalised his car’s windshield.
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