Following the recent incident of the attack on Pakistani student Ali Hassan Raza at Sir C.V. Raman Hostel in Pondicherry University, the university authorities have issued circular placing entry restrictions in the boys’ hostels.
The rules include restricted entry into the hostels after 10 p.m., compulsory registration of details with security officers and restriction on entry of guests to hostel rooms. A list of emergency numbers has also been listed in the circular. “The measures mentioned in the circular have already been implemented and it applies to all our 19 hostels,” S. Sudalai Muthu, Chief Warden, Pondicherry University told The Hindu . Currently, there are Ph.D. students in four of our hostels as the other students have gone on vacation.
The circular stipulates that the main gate of hostels will be closed by 10 p.m. and entry into the hostels will strictly be restricted after 10 p.m. The students who come after the cut-off time should show their identity card to the security staff to enter the hostel premises. They will be allowed to go inside only after making necessary entries into a register. Students are also directed to report immediately to Chief Warden/ Warden or security staff if they find any stranger or notice any suspicious activity within the hostel premises.
They have also been instructed not to entertain any guest or stranger in their rooms without prior approval of the hostel authorities.
‘Lax security’“Security has been lax on the campus and the capability of the security staff to deal with an untoward situation is questionable,” said a Ph.D. student on condition of anonymity. Another student said a few months back, a student was beaten up inside the campus right under the nose of security personnel who merely stood as passive spectators.
Meanwhile, terming the restrictions imposed by the University as a retrograde measure, A. Anand, Student Federation of India said that in any central university such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, students can enter into their hostels at any time.
Rather than restricting the movement of students, the university authorities should increase beat rounds by police every two hours in the neighbourhood as has been the case until the practice was abandoned some time ago, he said.
