33 sandalwood trees stolen from BU campus in five days

They were felled at Bio Park; police say no complaint has been filed

The stump of one of the sandalwood trees felled on the Jnana Bharathi campus.

In spite of claims made by Bangalore University about adopting several security measures, 33 sandalwood trees were felled and taken away from the Jnana Bharathi campus between April 13 and 17.

All the trees were near the Vice-Chancellor’s residence. The university authorities said they had lodged a police complaint, but the jurisdictional police said they were not aware of the theft and that no complaint had been filed.

The recent spate of thefts is a big blot for the campus. T.J. Renuka Prasad, coordinator of Bio Park from where the trees were stolen, said the Forest Crime Cell was also informed of the incidents.

To check the increasing cases of sandalwood tree thefts from its campus, the university had last year procured three weapons — a pistol, a Sten gun and a rifle — for ₹20,000. However, both students and faculty members said they have never seen any armed security person on the campus.

A recent Right to Information query had revealed that 36 sandalwood trees were stolen from the campus last year.

According to sources, the footage of the CCTV cameras installed at the entrance of the Bio Park are not being monitored regularly. Poor security on the campus during the night makes it easy for thieves to get away easily.

Students pointed out that the security at the nearly a 1,000 acre campus was extremely poor. A postgraduate student who lives in the hostel said security remains a matter of concern. “Improving security is also important for students’ safety,” she said.