KIIT University Clashes: Fracas breaks out between Engineering & Law Students, Section 144 imposed
An eve-teasing occurrence including an engineering understudy and a law student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar apparently bubbled over into an all-out mob at the campus on Saturday, leaving a few students seriously and genuinely harmed. The scuffle or the brawl is said to have resulted in over 40 understudies or students being… Read More »
An eve-teasing occurrence including an engineering understudy and a law student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar apparently bubbled over into an all-out mob at the campus on Saturday, leaving a few students seriously and genuinely harmed. The scuffle or the brawl is said to have resulted in over 40 understudies or students being hospitalised and at least one of them being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a grievous head injury.
Five individuals have been kept under detention after conflicts infringed upon out between the Law School and Engineering faculties of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneshwar. Tension rose high in the KIIT University grounds following the violent conflict between the two groups of understudies on Saturday evening.
As per the news organization ANI, section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code 1973, was forced in the campus premises following the conflicts and the KIIT School of Law has been shut till further notice. In an announcement by the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) college, the groups conflicted on Saturday over the supposed eve-teasing occurrence. As a precautionary step, the college authorities had emptied the two lodgings (hostels) influenced in the occurrence. It likewise disproved reports of casualty because of the conflict.
According to the sources, on the evening of 23rd November, Friday, a second-year B-Tech Mechanical Engineering student allegedly harassed a final-year female law student. Following the incident, the law student and her batchmates protested outside the B-Tech hostel which is situated right outside the law campus of KIIT and demanded an apology. The accused apologised by the end of the day. However, the next day on 24th of November hundreds of engineering students reportedly entered the Law School with beer bottles, sticks, bats, stones and even knives with an intention to damage the school and cause harm to the students only on the grounds that “how did the girls of Law faculty of KIIT enter the engineering boys’ hostel?” Law students retaliated in defence but they could not stand as they were highly outnumbered. Some of the intruders wrongfully confined 5-6 helpless law students in the hostel’s lift and continuously pelted boulders.
The law students made the following appeals and demands to the Registrar when she arrived at the place on the incident:
- To vacate the engineering hostels (which was recently constructed and since then it has continuously caused problems and chaos due to repeated aggression towards the law students).
- To rusticate and arrest the assailants immediately if not as soon as possible before further disarray is created.
- To compensate for the numerous injuries and for the immense loss of property.
As per the sources, the Registrar in reply to these demands threatened to vacate the law campus hostel as well if engineering boys’ hostel is emptied.
The occurrence proceeded for over an hour and even entered one of the hostels, where unaware and ignorant law understudies were ruthlessly attacked, as indicated by Arguendo, a civilian citizen activism stage.
In the due course, the word spread and the brutality broke out into an undeniable mob, with the frenzy spreading to local people. As per Odisha Bytes, amid the conflict, vehicular activity between Big Bazaar Square and Sikharchandi was disturbed.
Bhadra Mahapatra, among other students and ex-students of the school, took to the social media life to make some commotion about the awful occasion, generally or otherwise not revealed or hidden by the predominant press. She expressed: “The name of the harasser [because of whom the entire episode started] is Rakesh Rathore…”
The atmosphere in the college is that of frightfulness and total dread. The college students report that the administration has been cruel and hard-bitten in their treatment of the episode, purportedly asking every one of the understudies (law and engineering) to empty the grounds amidst the night without making alternate courses of action or arrangements.
The students of the university have taken to online media and communication to express their outright speechlessness state at this mentality appeared by the college and have been sharing pictures of them being stranded at different spots.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973
Section 144 of the CrPC, confers powers to issue an order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.
Specified classes of magistrates or justices (District Magistrate, a Sub-divisional Magistrate or any other Executive Magistrate specially empowered by the state government) may make such orders when as they would deem fit that there is a sufficient ground for continuing under the section and prompt aversion or fast remedy is desirable. It requires the officer to issue the order in black and white putting forward the material certainties of the case and the order is to be served in the way given by section. 134 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The wording of the section visualizes a circumstance wherein the power gave thereunder might be practised on the evaluation of the Magistrate himself – a subjective fulfilment or satisfaction.
The scope and object of section 144 are to pass a prompt order ahead of time to keep any secured threat or to instantly give a remedy if there should arise an occurrence of a crisis. Safeguarding of harmony and serenity in the public arena is the prime purpose behind the state government; thus, the legislature uniquely enables official judges under 144 to make quick move if there should arise an occurrence of crisis and to give a prompt or immediate remedy in the accompanying three circumstances mentioned under clause 1 of section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: To Prevent;
- Obstruction, disturbance or damage to any individual legally employed.
- A risk to human life, well-being or security, or
- Disturbance of people in general serenity or a mob or an affray.
By – Vasundhara Kaushik
(Faculty of Law, University of Allahabad)
Sources:
- http://www.legalservicesindia.com/articles/crpc.htm
- https://odishasuntimes.com/kiit-school-of-law-closed-sine-die-after-group-clash-over-eve-teasing/
- https://www.thequint.com/news/violent-riot-breaks-out-at-kiit-university-srpf-deployed
- https://www.timesnownews.com
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