‘There was not a single instance of misbehaviour’

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Mar 17, 2015: “We are disappointed but will continue to stay united,” said a group of first-year students of Government First Grade College, Mudipu, who missed their education tour after miscreants allegedly stopped them from going on a tour on Saturday night.

The college had organised a tour to Mysuru on Sunday and to witness the Budget session of the Legislative Assembly in Bengaluru on Monday. The college cancelled the tour after some fundamentalist groups (police identified Bajrang Dal as one of them) prevented the tour.

A male student, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Hindu , “There was not a single instance of any boys misbehaving with any girls in the college since the beginning of the academic year. We are disappointed that we could not see the Assembly session.”

Many students maintained that they remained united as before. Students did not want to be named.

“We are fed up with people talking outside in the town about the tour on the basis of religion and our gender,” another student said. “We do not have such feelings,” he added.

Hyder Ali, a teacher, said that as all the students studied the Indian Constitution, watching the proceedings of the Assembly was the main objective of the tour. “We are not afraid of outside forces and we will continue with our work,” he said.

College principal Giridhar Rao said that miscreants have tried to incite communal feelings in Mudipu town under the pretext of the students’ tour. A student said that a miscreant had barged into the bus before the bus started, and had then fled. Mr. Rao said that 38 students — 12 Muslim boys and an equal number of Hindu boys, 12 Hindu girls and two Christian girls — were part of the excursion. The students had no role to play in the incident on Saturday night. A consent letter had been obtained from the parents of all 38 students before the tour.

According to a senior police official, five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, and also pelting stones at the bus in which the students were set to go, stoning the police and a masjid nearby on Saturday. A car used by them has been seized. They have been booked under sections in the Indian Penal Code relating to attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, and obstructing officials from discharging their duties.

 

Courtesy: The Hindu