BJB college unrest: Students demand police action against non-students, threaten mass self-immolation 

Palpable tension prevailed at BJB Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar after students staged a protest at the main gate on Friday, alleging the partisan handling of cases relating to hooliganism on the college campus by Badagada Police.

The agitating students directly accused the inspector-in-charge (IIC) of the above-mentioned police station of showing favours to the non-students. They alleged instead of arresting the non-students involved in the violence that occurred on the campus on November 14, police are arresting students. 

They threatened self-immolation in front of Badagada Police Station if the involved non-students were not arrested. Raising slogans against the police official, they staged a sit-in in front of the college gate and demanded immediate arrest of non-students involved in the campus violence.

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“On November 14, some non-students entered the campus and attacked some students. However, they were overpowered and handed over to the Badagada Police. But the IIC didn’t take any action against them. He instead booked some innocent students. I think he might have been bribed,” alleged Mallik Samim Akhtar, an agitating student. 

Echoing the same, another student, Smruti Ranjan Panda said, “Since his joining, the Badagada IIC is showing favours to non-students and arresting students using different sections of the IPC.”

“We are staging the sit-in peacefully. If the non-students are not arrested, we will hit the street. Even after that, if our demand is not fulfilled, we will self-immolate en-masse in front of the police station,” he added. 

No comments have been received from the police or the college authorities.