SAMBALPUR: Protests broke out in Sambalpur University on Tuesday after a female student was allegedly eve-teased by some outsiders on the campus.
Inmates of all the ladies’ hostels and other students of Sambalpur University blocked the administrative building’s entrance and staged dharna protesting the entry of non-students into the campus.
At around 9:30 am, female students in large numbers staged dharna outside the administrative block and prevented the vice-chancellor from entering his office. Though university authorities reached the spot and tried to pacify them, the agitating students refused to withdraw their protest until their demands were met.
Sources said on Monday evening, two female students were on way to their hostel from the university market complex when two outsiders passed comments at one of them. When the student resisted, the two miscreants started abusing her with expletives. Though a male student came forward to help her, he too was heckled by the miscreants.
The students somehow managed to reach their hostel. When they sought help from the security guard, he reportedly told them that he has been asked to carry out his duty within the hostel gates. Irked, the female students decided to stage protest.
An agitating student Nishita Priyadarshini said every evening, several local youths who are not students, enter the campus and create nuisance. On several occasions, they have been found eve-teasing female students. They rarely get caught due to lack of security measures.
“We want the university authorities to install CCTV cameras at sensitive places on the campus and increase police patrolling in the evening. We also want deployment of police personnel at the university outpost instead of home guards,” she added.
As the agitation continued for nearly five hours, police were called in to control the situation. The protest was called off after the VC assured the students of necessary action. Police also assured to nab the two miscreants soon. In-charge registrar of the university Ashok Behera said, “We will tighten the security on campus soon and ask police to take necessary action against outsiders creating nuisance inside the university.”
College girl hurt in attack by spurned lover
Kendrapara: An 18-year-old college girl suffered injuries after being attacked by an unidentified youth with a sharp weapon on NH-53 at Khamarpara within Kendrapara Sadar police limits here on Monday afternoon. The victim was returning from college on her bicycle when she was attacked by the bike-borne youth. Kendrapara Sadar IIC Saroj Kumar Sahoo said the girl lodged an FIR with police on Tuesday stating that an unidentified miscreant pounced on her and attacked her with a sharp weapon after she refused to share her mobile phone number with him. She suffered injuries on her left hand. The victim was admitted to the district headquarters hospital and her condition is stableSahoo further informed that the unidentified motorcyclist was trying to woo the girl for the last over a month. When the girl spurned his repeated romantic advances, he decided to teach her a lesson and attacked her. Police have filed a case under sections 354D, 506 and 324 of the IPC against the accused. “Investigation is underway to ascertain the exact reason behind the attack. We are collecting footage of CCTVs installed in the area to identify the accused,” the IIC added.