Kolkata, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The inquiry commission constituted to investigate the recent clashes at Jadavpur University held its first meeting on Thursday, with the proceedings taking place at the university’s Salt Lake campus instead of its main campus in south Kolkata.
The commission is headed by retired Calcutta High Court Justice Pranab Kumar Chatterjee. Professor Soumendu Chatterjee, Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Presidency University, is a member, while Jadavpur University micro analyst Sumanta Jana is the presenting officer.
Before the meeting, Justice Chatterjee said the commission would decide through discussion how complaints would be received and processed. He said the terms of reference required a detailed examination of every issue and that all complaints and newspaper clippings submitted to the panel would be considered.
The commission will also examine documents provided by the university authorities. Justice Chatterjee said any other party wishing to submit information or documents would also be allowed to do so, and such material would be examined.
He ruled out the possibility of unnecessary delay in the inquiry, saying efforts would be made to complete the process as quickly as possible. However, he said the commission would take its final step only after hearing all information submitted and the views of those who wished to appear before it.
According to the chairman, the pace of the inquiry would depend on the volume of documents received and the number of people coming forward to give their views. Once all complaints are submitted, the commission will proceed with their examination.
The inquiry follows a clash on August 19 at around 8 p.m. involving members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Left student organisations around a students’ general meeting called in the engineering department. The university’s main campus has remained tense since the incident.
Both sides, along with university authorities, have filed complaints with the police. Police have also collected CCTV footage of the incident.
The university initially constituted a three-member inquiry commission. Subhas Shankar Sarkar, former Vice-Chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University, was initially designated as chairman but declined the responsibility.
At a meeting on Monday, the university decided to appoint Justice Pranab Kumar Chatterjee as chairman. Subsequently, another member, Arunashis Goswami, resigned from the commission.
A section of Left student organisations has repeatedly demanded representation for students on the inquiry panel, but the university has so far not accepted the demand.
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