Several instruments of Civil Engineering Department of Jadavpur University missing
Several instruments of the Civil Engineering Department of Jadavpur University were found missing, the varsity Registrar Snehamanju Basu said. "Some computers of the Bengali Department in the Arts building were also missing at the same time on Wednesday," she said. Basu said the theft was detected on Wednesday evening and the university authority filed a complaint with Jadavpur Police Station on that day itself.
Difficult to immediately ascertain the extent of loss: Basu
"A team from Lalbazar (Kolkata Police Headquarters) also visited the university premises and the department building on Thursday. It's difficult to immediately ascertain the extent of loss as parts of many instruments are missing. We'll get to the bottom of this," Basu said. The Civil Engineering Department laboratory, which houses the instruments, is located near one of the gates of the sprawling JU campus.
Seventy percent of instruments missing either partly or fully
One faculty member said, going by preliminary estimates, 70% of the instruments of the Civil Engineering Department appear to be missing either partly or fully. The Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) in a letter to the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Suranjan Das expressed concern that important soil test instruments at the Civil Engineering Department laboratory as well as other tools were missing.
JUTA General Secretary urged the authorities to unravel the mystery
The association wondered "how heavy instruments can be taken away from the well-secured buildings." JUTA General Secretary Parthapratim Roy urged the authorities to unravel the mystery in the interest of students, faculty, and every stakeholder. No on-campus classes are taking place in the university for over a year and the VC, Registrar, deans, and faculty are attending campuses at regular intervals.
