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Jadavpur University siege lifted

Kolkata: The over 50-hour-long stalemate over installation of closed circuit television cameras on the Jadavpur University campus here between the university authorities and a major section of the students ended on Friday after the authorities assured the students of reviewing the demands raised by them.

The protesting students had laid siege of the university's administrative building since Wednesday afternoon in protest against the university's decision to install CCTV cameras at various strategic locations of the campus for “security reasons”.

While the students demanded a rollback of the decision citing “intrusion into students' privacy”, the authorities refused to buckle under the students' protests resulting in the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and several other officials remaining locked up in the building during the period.

JUTA intervention

Though the students of the science stream resumed classes on Friday morning, those of the engineering stream continued their agitation till a team of the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) mediated and finally helped achieving a breakthrough.

A 15-member-team of JUTA held a meeting with the protesting students during the day where they asked the students to withdraw the siege and open a dialogue channel with the university's Executive Council (EC) for expressing their views.

The team also assured the students that their privacy would not be compromised if CCTV cameras were put up at the campus entrance or at the library and asked them to participate in the working committee constituted by the EC to look after the matter for voicing their suggestions.

The siege was finally withdrawn by the students towards the evening with the university authorities assuring to discuss all the issues.

However, when asked if any new committee would be set up for the purpose, Pradip Kumar Ghosh, Registrar of Jadavpur University, said that a committee already exists for authorities and students to discuss on several issues.

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