As many as 50 second-year pre-university students in a hostel managed by Alva’s Education Foundation in Moodbidri, have complained to the police that two wardens, student welfare officers, and some administrative staff together beat them up in the hostel rooms on Saturday night.
According to the complaint of Prajwal Jagatap, the student residing in Pushpagiri hostel, to the Moodbidri police on Sunday, some students celebrated the end of exams by bursting firecrackers between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the hostel premises.
The complaint said that Rajesh and Nagesh, the wardens and some student welfare officers and administrative staff arrived at the hostel in an inebriated state at about 10.30 p.m., with sticks in their hands. They switched off the CCTV cameras and dragged around 50 students out of their rooms and began thrashing them with sticks and kicking them with their boots. Some students were selectively targeted and the attack went on till 2 a.m. Even parents, who were in their children’s rooms, were verbally abused. The complaint has been signed by 54 students. The hostel houses about 700 students, all from PU science stream.
The police have registered a case under Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (insult intended to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC. The FIR has named Rajesh, Nagesh and Sagar, an administrative staff, as suspected accused. Some students reportedly retaliated by damaging furniture in the hostel’s reception area and wardens’ restroom on Sunday. Anguished parents of students arrived at the hostel and took their children home. Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, they accused the chairman of the foundation of not giving them a patient hearing when they asked about Saturday’s incident.
M. Mohan Alva, chairman of the foundation, told The Hindu that three staff members have been suspended pending inquiry by a three-member committee. Regretting the incident, Mr. Alva said the foundation has taken serious note of it and action would be taken against the guilty. Refuting allegations of not hearing the queries of students and parents, Mr. Alva said he had a two-hour session with parents on the campus on Sunday. He also met students and parents in his chamber on Monday. He also refuted allegations that the accused staff had switched off the CCTV before the assault. He said of the 6,500 students in 11 hostels, there were around 2 to 3% who are hard to handle. “The problematic students were in the hostel where the incident occurred,” he said.
