Kolkata's JU wants freshers to sign 'no narcotics, no liquor' declaration in a move to curb abuse inside hostels

Students getting admitted to Jadavpur University this academic year will have to sign a declaration that they will not consume narcotic substances or drink liquor inside the university premises and the hostels, a senior varsity official said.

Admission to Arts, Science and Engineering courses in the university here will begin this week.

"Candidates of all the three streams will have to sign the written undertaking," Engineering department dean Prof Chiranjib Bhattacharjee said.

However, the nature of punishment for the offenders is yet to be decided, he said.

Asked about the necessity of such a declaration, a university official said, "It has become important to have such a clause for the candidates now, than in the past."

The only undertaking freshers had to sign, over the past two academic years, pertained to ragging. Students at the varsity seem to be unhappy with the new policy stating that it is just the university not wanting to take any kind of responsibility.

"This is a new strategy adopted by the authority starting this year. While I think it is important that the student community, teachers and, even, the authority take an active interest in helping change practices which might be detrimental to the physical and mental well being of the students, I don't think this will be of much use. This is, in fact, a measure through which the university is evading its responsibility and ensuring that it is not a problem that they have to deal with in the future. Instead of imposing such legal bindings on the students, I think it would be much more useful if sensitisation measures of various kinds were adopted. Otherwise it is almost akin to coercing the students and ridding the university of its responsibility," says Shounak Mukhopadhyay, a student at JU, who will be soon graduating from the university with an MA in Film Studies.

Partha Pratim Roy, a senior member of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA), said that the teachers have welcomed the move.

"Students will always support constructive moves by the JU administration," Krittika Roy, a second year Arts student said.

The decision comes after students were reportedly found consuming alcohol and taking drugs inside the campus, following which the administration had regulated the entry of outsiders.

There were also incidents of narcotic and alcohol abuse inside the hostels.