Students of Manipal University has began to voice out their concern, anguish and even anger on the kidnapping and assault on their fellow student.
In the backdrop of growing demand among students for increased security in the campus, Pro-chancellor of Manipal University Prof H S Ballal declared that immediate measures would be taken to strengthen security measures in the university campus, and full cooperation would be extended to the police on the case.
Prof Ballal said that security measures such as manning the entry gates by security guards and increasing CCTV cameras in the campus would be undertaken, aiming to address the issue of security of students in the campus.
Expressing shock at the ghastly incident, Prof Ballal said that the administration had never expected such an incident to occur. Such an incident has never taken place in Manipal in the past 10 years, he said.
“The university is coordinating with the district police team to heighten security on its campus. More street lamps would be installed in the campus, along with increased patrolling at night. The university is also planning to have manned gates at each end of the road from Anatomy Block to Diana Valley, which will be manned by security guards who will note the registration numbers of vehicles entering the gates,” he said, adding that this plan was still in the initial stage.
He said that the student was recovering in the ICU of Kasturba Hospital.
Students express fear, anguish
The student community at the university have been shaken up by the first-ever incident of its kind in recent years.
Having regarded the campus as a safe place, students were used to studying late in the libraries and heading home in pairs or groups after studies.
With the assault of the girl who was a fourth year medical student, students have begun to worry and show concern over their safety in the campus from now on. Venting out their anger at the management, majority of them have demanded heightened security in the campus at night.
Several female students are now anxious about their stay and travel in the university. One medical student confided that while hostels had enough security in place, the same was not the case in the campus.
Another student from Malaysia told the media that she was worried about her safety in the campus, after the assault on the girl. She said that the campus required more security measures and guards in place.
Yet another opined that there ought to be more control over locals and auto-rickshaws inside the campus. There are several more students who are now afraid of venturing out of the hostels to study in the libraries at night.
The pro-chancellor has ruled out closing down the university library at night as a large number of students regularly visited it to study.
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