The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action-taken report (ATR) from the Utkal University Registrar over the safety and security of students, especially girls, within four weeks.
The commission acted on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy recently.
The petitioner alleged that several girl students of the Utkal University on February 20 this year locked up the institute’s main gate protesting against poor security arrangements in hostels after unidentified goons tried to enter the hostels.
“The boundary walls adjoining the hostels were damaged following the cyclone Phailin and have not been repaired since then. The non-students entering the university premises and creating trouble, the students have been pushing for better security on campus. Strikes, demonstrations, rallies or peaceful protests could not bring any result so far. The safety and security of students especially of the girl students pose threat to human rights in the campus and the nearby area of the university,” the petitioner contended.
Attacks on students by outsiders have become a common phenomenon in the University campus. Failure of the State to save the students amounts to their human rights violation, Radhakanta alleged.
He urged the commission to send the special Rapporteur to visit the university to assess the situation and submit a detailed report as to how the security arrangements are being taken care of just to throw the lives of students to hell and to make recommend remedial measures to be taken in the larger interest of the premier institution and its students.
The petitioner further urged the commission to direct the authorities to install CCTV cameras in the campus to ensure the basic human rights of the students.