Kolkata: College principals who have previously only dealt with political violence on campuses have been alarmed by the rape horror at the college in south Kolkata and say it has altered the dymanics of threat on campuses. Principals are particularly worried about union rooms and parts of the campus that are desolate or less frequented after college hours. "I have lost sleep since Friday evening. The alarming thing is that something like this could happen in my college as well," said a principal. Most principals highlighted that union rooms where former students with political affiliations have unrestricted access are a nightmare. Many among them said if they had the power, the first thing they would do is restrict entry of outsiders.
Principals of multiple colleges held meetings at their respective institutions to discuss matters related to safety and security. A principal of a girls' college said, "What has happened is a nightmare. We are very strict about giving access to outsiders, but such incidents can happen unexpectedly. We are currently in summer recess. Once the college reopens on Tuesday, we will hold a meeting on the issue. "Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Day College principal Pankaj Roy expressed concern regarding safety at his college. "I cannot say that our college is very peaceful. Political influence is a matter of concern for us. Now, summer holidays are on, but the union room remains open with fans and AC in operation. Students and outsiders enter and exit without permission. Who will be responsible if something happens? Once the college reopens, I will address these issues and take action as this situation cannot continue after what has happened at the law college. "Maheshtala College principal Rumpa Das also said a meeting would be convened shortly to discuss how security could be improved on the campus. "We have sufficient CCTV cameras in the building, and on last Saturdays of every month, we review the monthly CCTV footage and discuss how the security system could be improved. But our students can reach out to me whenever they want. We will have a parent-teacher meeting to assure them that this place is safe. "Deshma Ghosh, a student of Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College who had approached the HC, said, "We moved court against unwanted interference by Sabbir Ali, causing trouble on our campus. After that incident, there was police protection outside our campus. Students, regardless of gender, must feel secure on the campus. "Scottish Church College principal Madhumanjari Mandal said that they have closed the union room as there is no union at the college now since elections have been suspended for the last few years. She said, "We have CCTV cameras, but this incident has prompted us to check if we can install more to cover every corner of campus. These incidents make us think about increasing the budget for ensuring safety and security. We will call for a meeting soon. "Calcutta University's interim VC Santa Datta De questioned the purpose of keeping union rooms open when there were no official unions at the colleges. CU has closed all union rooms across its campuses after receiving plaints of illegal activities in these rooms.