Odisha: Utkal Varsity Authorities To Clamp Stricter Rules For Crime-Free Campus

Bhubaneswar: Post the Monday night violence in one of the hostels of the Utkal university here, several inmates along with some students of the varsity staged a dharna outside the office of the Vice-Chancellor demanding stringent measures to curb the menace posed by outsiders on the campus.

Tension ran high last night after a clash broke out between two student groups of Gopabandhu Hostel allegedly over substandard food being served at the varsity canteen. The chaos that reigned on the campus for several hours has prompted the authorities to come up with stricter rules to turn the university a safe and better space for all students.

This morning, Prof Sabita Acharya - the Vice-Chancellor of the Utkal University, held discussions with other senior officials regarding demands of the students and step up efforts to ensure that the prevailing situation doesn't get out of control.

"We will prohibit entry of non-students into the hostels. Whatever needs to be done was discussed in today's meeting. Identity cards will be made mandatory, more security forces will be deployed. Further, we have to install more CCTVs at the campus. We will seek police' help to trace the miscreants; the names of miscreants we have with us will be submitted to police for a detailed investigation," Acharya said.

On the allegations of sub-standard food in hostels, the VC stated, "Not all but a few have complained of sub-standard quality food. We will have to do a quality check first to find if the allegations are true. As suggested by the Registrar, we have planned to invite tenders for a central kitchen, so that there will be one canteen for the inmates of all hostels. We have assured the students of a problem-free environment."

The violence at the campus has drawn strong reactions from hostel inmates. "The university has reopened just before a week and the most students expect is provision of basic facilities such as good food and healthcare. A few people are trying to disturb the atmosphere of the campus. We demand strict action and arrest of all troublemakers. The State government has ordered waiving of fees, we would like the varsity to execute the same orders," said an agitating student.

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