Rising criminal activities: Edu institutions on Odisha police scanner

Bhubaneswar: Close on the heels of a class-I student of Mahadeiputa Seva Ashram in Odisha’s Koraput district getting attacked by four of his seniors, the state police has suggested a set of advisories for the managers of educational institutions as well as parents in order to prevent such untoward incidents.

“Instances of students pursuing studies in different educational institutions, indulging themselves in various criminal/anti-social activities like rape, murder, criminal assault, unlawful activities, eve-teasing, molestation, kidnapping for ransom, theft, drug addiction etc have come to the notice of DGP Dr. R.P.Sharma. Those apart, there has been an increasing trend of criminal activities due to advancement of technology within the cyberspace like stalking, hacking, sextortion etc., among students,” said Odisha Police in a release.

“In order to check such nefarious habits among young students, he has instructed all Supdts. of Police in the State including DCP Bhubaneswar, DCP Cuttack, SRP Cuttack, SRP Rourkela, S.P EOW and STF to take special measure on the issue,” the release added.

Here are the set of advisories suggested by the DGP for authorities of educational institutions and parents of students:

Role of Educational Institutions:

1. It is noticed that, there is a general tendency of management to avoid police and report only when a major crime takes place or a Law & Order situation breaks out. However, it is impressed upon that many of such situations could have been avoided / prevented by timely intervention of Police. Therefore, it is advised that management should take police into trust and keep police in loop in all matters related to crime and law & order.
2. It is also observed that there is a trust deficit amongst management, parents and students, whereas it is advised that management of educational institutions should be more participative & involve parents and share information with regard to activities of their wards on a regular basis.
3. The college authority should create a data-base of all students studying in the institution and share the same with local police.
4. The college authority should construct well-built boundary wall around the institution to prevent free access to outsiders.
5. The faculty and staff of management should regularly make rounds of hostels and rented accommodation/mess, where students are staying outside the hostel, to ascertain their well being & activities as well as develop a personal bond in order to get continuous feedback.
6. They should deploy security guards from registered agencies in the campus and sensitize them about their duties and other security related matters at regular intervals.
7. The college authority should develop watch and ward system on the students. The authority should install best quality CCTV cameras with extensive coverage and storage system in the college premises, hostels, canteens and at other vulnerable points.
8. They should arrange for counseling of students against addiction of drugs, alcohol, and misuse of electronic devises.
9. They should ensure good co-operation with police to sort out students’ problem at regular intervals and to intimate local police about any untoward incidents.
10. They should keep watch on the movement of students staying outside on a rented accommodation/private residential hostel/mess and their associates.
11. College authority should take initiative to organize regular meetings with parents for psychological support and behavioral change within the students.
12. The college authority should organize anti-ragging awareness meetings and steps should be taken to form Anti-ragging Committee in the college to curb ragging as per Hon’ble Supreme Court guideline.
13. The college authority should create healthy educational environment, self development and motivational education system in the institution with constant counseling by faculties from time to time to refrain them from unlawful activities.

Role of Parents:

A sizable number of students studying in various professional educational institutions are from outside Odisha and when they leave home for the first time and stay outside, it is noticed that the air of freedom gives them a kick to freak out and fall into association of bad companies. Therefore, the parents are advised to frequently visit their wards to look after their wellbeing & keep a watch on their activities.
The parents may be impressed upon to ensure the followings in respect of their wards.
1. The students should keep good co-operation with police and college authority. They should discuss their problems and must not resort to violence.
2. They can pass any information to local police on matters of crime, criminals, anti-socials, drug abusers etc.
3. They should be vigilant about their electronic gadgets like laptop, mobile phones, study materials etc. and use double locking of their motor cycles.
4. They should adopt safety norms before accessing social media.
5. They should refrain from bad company.
6. They should refrain from visiting hotels, pubs, bars and should give up habit of taking any tobacco products etc.

Role of Police:

1. Regular patrolling in and around the college premises to be intensified by deploying PCR Vans.
2. Actions should be taken to stop sale of drug, tobacco and contraband products in shops near and around the educational institutions.
3. Special drive under COTPA & JJ Act should be conducted to remove all tobacco shops near educational institutions in co-operation with revenue authority/local municipality authority/police and to make the institution a tobacco-free zone.
4. Police should take immediate steps against outsiders and ex-students as per law, who create anti-social activities within the campus.
5. Police should deploy plain cloth personnel to detect outsiders committing antisocial activities and conduct raids to detect anti-social elements, who pass lewd comments on female students and also resorting to eve teasing.
6. Police should remain in regular touch with college authorities and students to impart orientation programme on crime related issues. During such interaction police should sensitize and try to impress upon the students the legal consequences of breaking or taking law on to their hands, and its future adverse impact on their academic and professional career. They should be cautioned that during police verification if anything adverse found, the concerned person will be debarred from any employment in both public and private organizations.
7. Police should prevent/prohibit use of loud speaker or any type of sound polluting system within the radius of 100 meters from educational institutions.
8. Police should organize a drive in co-ordination with local RTA for issuance of driving license to the eligible students.
9. Police should develop intelligence in-puts by regularly interacting with students to identify mischief mongers, and to take action against them in consultation with college authorities.
10. Both parents and students should be sensitized on the misuse of smart phones and IT gadgets and precautions they should follow.
11. Local Police should also visit the students’ rented accommodation or private mess not only to ascertain their difficulties, at the same time keep watch on their outside campus activities.
12. Police should portray a students-friendly image so as to inspire and gain confidence and trust of the students so that students come out to share their difficulties and criminal intelligence on both inside and outside the campus activities.

“The magnitude of such crimes among students have been increasing manifold day by day which has been a major concern for college authorities as well as parents in particular, and police in general. There is an urgent need to undertake suitable measures to deal with this sensitive problem and endeavour to make all the educational institution a crime-free zone,” said the DGP.