Poster row: Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya to set up CCTVs in entire campus
Telegraph | 30 April 2025
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya has decided to bring
the entire campus under CCTV surveillance by May 15 after an offensive
poster was pasted on the university’s notice board in the wake of the Pahalgam
tragedy.
Ashok Kumar Patra, vice-chancellor of the university, said the faculty
of agriculture building lacked CCTV cameras, making it impossible to track
those who pasted the offending poster on the notice board.
All 12
hostels, the gates and three buildings of the three faculties — agriculture,
horticulture and agriculture engineering — at Nadia’s Mohonpur campus, about
60km from Calcutta, will be brought under CCTV surveillance.
“CCTV cameras will
be installed above the notice boards. The decision was taken at a meeting
attended by the deans and other officials on Monday,” Patra told Metro on
Tuesday.
“The cameras must be installed and activated by May 15,” he said. The
university has CCTVs only in select hostels.
Last Friday, the dean of students’
welfare, Anupam Pariari, said a lack of funds delayed the CCTV cameras.
“We are sourcing funds to install CCTVs within a fortnight. After what happened
last week, we cannot afford to take any risks”, the dean told Metro on Tuesday.
Some unidentified people pasted the offending poster on the notice board. The
university is a residential campus and caters to around 2,000 students.
“They
(the miscreants) referred to the Pahalgam tragedy of April 22 to justify why
they were fanning hatred. Since we have students from different communities, this
triggered a concern on the campus,” the dean said.
The VC said he went to the
hostels on Saturday, so the students did not feel threatened.
The VC said in a
notice on Monday: “Such actions not only vitiate the teaching and research
environment of the university, but also pose a direct threat to the dignity of
an institution....Let us work collectively to ensure a free, fearless and
peaceful academic atmosphere conducive to learning, innovation and societal
contribution”.