Bhubaneswar, Oct 10: The commissionerate police are beefing up security arrangements in and around colleges in the capital city to avoid any untoward incident ahead of the students’ union polls scheduled on October 14.
DCP Satyabrata Bhoi told Orissa POST that adequate security cover is being provided to the colleges after consultation with the college authorities and assessment of possibilities of violence on the campus before, during and after the polls.
“In institutions like Deba Ray College, police personnel are deployed from morning to evening. But in colleges like Rama Devi Women’s College and BJB Autonomous College, we are providing security round the clock. This security cover will continue till October 14,” he said.
The hurling of two low-intensity bombs on Adivasi Hostel of Rama Devi a few days ago led to police tightening security arrangements. Unidentified miscreants had also hurled around six crude bombs outside the hostels of BJB College a few days back in what was seen as an unexpected incident related to the students’ union polls.
In the BJB College incident, the residents of the hostels first witnessed two high-intensity fire-crackers being lobbed at the gate of General Hostel. Then a similar explosion was witnessed at the college ground followed by two more near the ladies’ hostel. Sources said students’ groups opposed to the college elections were responsible for these incidents.
Earlier, Utkal University authorities had called off students’ union elections fearing pre-poll violence. Cancellation of the elections led to protests by students of the university, who lambasted the varsity authorities and also held the commissionerate police responsible, saying police were unable to provide security to the colleges in the city.
Anirudh Sahoo, who was Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s presidential candidate at Utkal University, said: “It is unfortunate that the commissionerate police failed to provide security during students’ union elections at one of the most important universities in the country, for which the polls were called off.”
