Kerala moots policing on college campuses

Trivandrum - The cops will also be free to inspect the student hostels and students union offices.

By T K Devasla

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Published: Thu 27 Aug 2015, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Thu 27 Aug 2015, 10:15 AM

Kerala's Congress-led United Democratic Front government has proposed policing on college campuses in the state.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala proposed the entry of law enforcers into the college campuses at a high level meeting of education department officials, vice-chancellors and college principals convened in the wake of the death of a student at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, during Onam revelry last week.
Currently, police can enter a college campus only with the permission of the college principal. According to the new proposal, the police will be able to enter the campus on the receipt of complaints from any quarters regarding any unlawful activity in the college.
The cops will also be free to inspect the student hostels and students union offices. The meeting also discussed restrictions on the college union activities. Besides, the home minister, the meeting was attended by Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb and Director General of Police Senkumar.
Thesni Basheer, a third year civil engineering student at the College of Engineering had died after a jeep which was part of an Onam pageantry hit her on the college campus last week. The police have arrested seventh semester mechanical engineering student Baiju K Balakrishnan in connection with the incident.
Undeterred by the outrage caused by the incident, students at an engineering college at Adoor in Pathanamthitta district presented a similar show of excess Onam revelry using a tanker of Fire and Rescue Services, bus, crane, tractor, lorry and open jeeps.
The students took out the procession through the roads splashing water from the tanker. The government has suspended seven fire force officials for giving the tanker to the students without following guidelines. The Adoor police have also registered cases against 200 students, including several girls, for blocking traffic and travelling atop vehicles. - news@khaleejtimes.com


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