Jadavpur University loses Institute of Eminence status due to budget cut, sparking political controversy and student protests. File
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
Jadavpur University (JU) to lose its status as Institute of Eminence (IoE) due to a fall in budgetary allocation. The question was raised in Parliament by members of the government.
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Samik Bhattacharya asked for the reason behind the university’s loss of the premium status, at the Rajya Sabha. He also asked what the university can do to address the concerns and whether the institute can reapply for the IoE status in future.
On Wednesday (March 12, 2025), the query was answered by BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education.
In his reply, he mentioned, the Empowered Experts Committee (EEC) considered the revised proposal of the Jadavpur University and observed that there was a steep decline in the budget from earlier projected amount of ₹3,299 crore to ₹606 crore and such a steep decline in the budget was not conducive to realise the target set for the IoE institutions.” He said that this led to the fall in the university’s status.
Reacting to this issue, Mr. Majumdar said, “Mamata Banerjee’s Apathy killed Jadavpur university’s IoE dream. While failed Chief Minister blows crores on freebies & PR gimmicks, Bengal’s top university was abandoned by her government. This is a direct betrayal of students, teachers and Bengal’s academic future.”
This comes as Jadavpur University has been embroiled in politics for the past two weeks for student clashes and protests demanding a fair student union election on campus.
Meanwhile, former JU student who was arrested on March 2 in relation to the protests on campus was released on bail on Wednesday (March 12, 2025). Mohammad Sahil Ali, 25-year-old remained in police custody for the past two weeks as multiple student bodies requested his release.
Published – March 14, 2025 08:52 am IST