Bhubaneswar: Tension gripped the Utkal University campus here on Sunday night after three crude bombs were allegedly hurled near Gopabandhu Hostel ahead of the student union elections. Though no injuries were reported, the incident triggered panic among hostel inmates.
The incident took place at around 11.30 pm as students and police personnel deployed on the university premises heard three loud explosions.
Angry students gathered near the university’s main gate and staged a protest, demanding the identification of those responsible for the incident. They blamed the Commissionerate Police for failing to prevent the incident despite heavy security arrangements on the campus.
The situation turned tense as a scuffle broke out between the protesting students and police personnel. Senior police officers reached the spot and tried to pacify the students. Police have started an investigation into the matter.
However, university authorities have dismissed reports of the bomb attack on the campus as rumours and stepped up security measures to ensure safety of students.
Jagneshwar Dandapat, election officer of Utkal University, said the reported bomb incident was entirely a rumour. He said the university authorities were taking all necessary steps to prevent any untoward incident on the campus.
The university is under round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, with more than 250 cameras installed across the campus. CCTV cameras have also been discreetly installed at highly sensitive locations to strengthen monitoring, Dandapat said.
Security has been reinforced at the university’s main gate, where university security personnel have been deployed alongside police forces. Additional security personnel have also been stationed at sensitive locations, including the girls’ hostel lane, boys’ hostel lane, market complex, Talapadeswari Lane and Gandhi Shanti Sthal.