JU campus interviews in jeopardy

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, April 10, 2007
The impending campus interviews in Jadavpur University (JU) are in jeopardy following the indefinite cease work by non-teaching employees of the university. Meanwhile, classes were held as usual, in spite of the non-teaching employees not reporting for work on Tuesday
The cease work by the employees, protesting against the ransacking of their union office and the science club on April 5, by unidentified students has put a question mark over the coming campus recruitments beginning this week.
Cognizant Technology Solutions is due to come to JU for recruitment on Wednesday, followed by Infosys on Thursday. The university authorities are not sure how the placement interviews would take place in the campus in the absence of non-teaching employees.
“It is true that are going to be problems, and it will be difficult to convince the non-teaching employees to join work but we do not want the students to suffer and are trying our best,” said Siddhartha Dutta, pro-vice chancellor of JU.
However, according to students, there is no guarantee that the two placement interviews would at all be conducted. “We have gone to the vice chancellor six times today but he has not given us any assurance that the placements would take place. For no reason, the non-teaching employees are playing with the future of innocent students,” said Amit Chakraborty, spokesperson of Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union.
Teachers also admit that the cease work would hamper campus interviews. “The non-teaching employees are responsible for opening the classrooms and building doors, and if these basic things are not done, then it will effect the placement interviews. We have urged the vice chancellor today to look into the matter,” said Keshab Bhattacharya, general secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA). The students attended classes on Tuesday, by opening the rooms using the spare keys kept with the departmental heads. But, what has really inconvenienced students is that the libraries remained closed and toilets were not cleaned.
The chancellor of JU and Governor of the state, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, had written a letter to the vice chancellor S.K. Sanyal on April 9, urging him to set up an enquiry committee, which would not be ‘prejudiced’ and would make an ‘impartial assessment and recommendations’ and ascertain who were responsible for the incident. The letter further stated, “It is important that a clear message should go to the campus that this kind of vandalism and violence is totally unacceptable.” The university has decided to constitute an inquiry committee by the end of this week.
Meanwhile, the non-teaching employees have replied that they would not take any decision before Wednesday. They even took out a rally inside the campus in the afternoon. “We are aware that campus recruitment will get hampered. But, how can students assume, that after ransacking our union room, we would cooperate with them to help them land plum jobs?” said Swapan Ghosh, vice president of the non-teaching employees’ union of JU.
Talking about innocent students not involved in the vandalism, paying the price, Ghosh said, “It is true that only a handful are guilty, but it is their duty to come out in the open and take a stand.”
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