Manipal University has stepped up security on the campus less than a fortnight into the gruesome sexual assault of a medical student.
It has also sent a proposal to the district authorities on the measures it wanted to implement to enhance security on the public road snaking through the university campus.
The varsity has a total of 17,962 students from across the country as well as abroad. Nearly 50 per cent of students are women. Concerns for women’s safety had grown after the woman student, from Kerala, was abducted and raped by autorickshaw-borne criminals on the night of June 20.
According to the Registrar of the University G.K. Prabhu all the gates within the campus would be closed for vehicles from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Students and faculty members are allowed to enter the campus on the production of their identity cards, he said. The new security measures have come into force from Monday.
Of the two campus patrol vehicles of the university, one is stationed at the junction between the Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Women’s Hostel and University Library from 9 p.m. till midnight to meet any emergencies. The other vehicle would patrol the campus overnight.
There are seven entry points to the health sciences campus and three to the engineering campus of the varsity.
“We have already sent a proposal regarding the security measures that needed to be taken on these 10 points to the Superintendent of Police M.B. Boralingaiah. We have also copied in the Deputy Commissioner and Udupi city municipality,” Mr. Prabhu said.
As of now the security personnel of the university are noting down the registration number of vehicles, their make and model, and number of passengers at these entry points. “Since they are public roads, we cannot block them. But we are not creating any inconvenience to the people,” Mr. Prabhu said.
Meeting
The district administration is expected to call a meeting next week on security matters. Government officials, elected representatives and university officials are expected to attend the meeting. The university representatives are likely to suggest measures to secure the entry points by putting up gates, CCTV cameras and lamps. “Once we get the approval of the district authorities, we will implement these measures”, he said.
The varsity has purchased walkie-talkies to be given to security personnel at the entry points. “We are already training our security personnel in using these walkie-talkies,” Mr. Prabhu said.
Mr. Boralingaiah said the district police would conduct a survey of the university campus and suggest security measures to them in a week. “We have also requested the Director General of Police (Home Guards) to deploy 20 Home Guards at the Manipal police station,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju said the district administration would hold a meeting within 10 days on enhancing security on the public roads running through the university. “We will invite university authorities, elected representatives, autorickshaw unions and voluntary organisations to the meeting. We want to hear everyone,” he said.
