The Presidency University in Kolkata on Tuesday said it will not implement the proposed Code of Conduct for students, amid protests on campus over the issue. The varsity had circulated the draft code of conduct among students. As part of it, a disciplinary committee was formed to monitor activities on the campus.
It also summoned the parents of a male student and a female student based on the CCTV footage of their "activities" on the campus. The draft also recommended that for staging any demonstration on the campus and sharing videos of it on social media permission has to be sought from the varsity.
Following this, the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Independent Consolidation (IC) started protesting, which was underway over the last two weeks. "The draft Code of Conduct will not be implemented," a varsity official said.
SFI spokesperson Anandarupa Dhar said the dean of students told them that the CCTVs on the campus will only be used for ensuring the safety of students, and not for surveillance.
"The authorities agreed that if a student seeks deletion of footage that violates his or her privacy it will be done. Also, the disciplinary committee that was formed with the agenda of moral policing will be disbanded," she told PTI.
"Presidency is a citadel of free thinking and liberal views. It has always supported a progressive school of thought. We will not tolerate any blueprint to murder democracy on the campus, or any code of conduct for surveillance in the name of discipline," she added. However, the varsity official said it will continue the discussion with students on having a disciplinary committee.
