BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate of Police on Sunday arrested seven youths, including three students of Utkal University, on charges of attacking two post graduate students on Saturday afternoon.
The accused were identified as Rakesh Tarenia (23) and Smruti Ranjan Rout (20) of Odapada in Jagatsinghpur, Sangram Keshari Patra (29) of Binjharpur in Jajpur, Soumya Ranjan Sahu (25) of Satya Nagar and Arun Kumar Mansingh (26) of Tomando in Capital City, Jitendra Padhiari (25) of Raghunathpur and Pabitra Nayak (20) of Naranpur in Dhenkanal.
While Sangram, Arun and Soumya are students of University Law College, the rest are trainers of a local fitness centre in the Capital owned by Bapi Nayak.
Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma said the gym trainers were often involved in brawls inside the university campus. Police arrested them after carrying out simultaneous raids on multiple locations in the Capital. Several others who indulged in instigating violence inside the campus, have been identified, he added.
Bapi, police said, used to select youths from economically backward sections, train and employ them as bouncers in hotels, pubs, educational institutions and hospitals, using his influence. These youths acted as Bapi’s henchmen and frequently used to execute anti-social and criminal acts for him, sources said.
University authorities have intensified checks to identify and oust non-students who have been occupying berths in the hostels.
The accused entered the campus on three motorcycles and attacked the two students, Ashok Nayak and Mahesh Prasad, near central canteen. Both of them were severely injured and undergoing surgery at a private hospital here.
The accused have been booked under Sections 294, 341, 323, 324, 307, 506 and 34 of the IPC and produced in the court of SDJM, Khurda which remanded them to judicial custody.
On the other hand, police have launched a drive to verify credentials of fitness centres operating in the city.
“If the members or owner/s of these centres are found indulging in anti-social activities, steps would be initiated for sealing those units,” Sharma said.