Counselling, community work for students

Organisers of party busted by police suspended for 15 days; student bodies call for stricter punishment

The 500-odd students from a premium institute in the city who were detained by the police for consuming alcohol without permit will now have to go for counselling and community work. The incident occurred at a farmhouse a couple of days ago.

The six-member committee report, which was submitted to top officials of the institute after a gruelling session of 24 hours, noted that the panel had decided not to punish the students harshly but make them realise their responsibilities.

The senior director of the institute said the students who had organised the party had been suspended for 15 days. "They will have to do some community work during that time. The rest will also have to put in eight hours of compulsory community work for 15 days. Their work will be monitored by the director," said the senior director. "All the students also have to go through compulsory counselling session organised by the institution."
The director said the sessions would help the students know the city and its culture.u00a0u00a0

Too lenient?
But the institution's decision has not gone down well with various students' organisations in the city. They believe that such lenient action will not teach the students a lesson.

"This is not a punishment at all. What the students did is completely against our culture. They are here to study and not do this," said Murli Mohol, city president, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

Rahul Mhaske, city president, National Students Union of India, the student wing of Congress, said, "Though we are satisfied with the decision our members will drop in at the community offices to see what kind of work the students are doing and if it's helping them at all."