The expulsion of seven students of Berhampur’s Parala Maharaja Engineering College (PMEC), a premier government-run technical institute of south Odisha, from their hostels for allegedly cooking and eating beef, has caused ripples in the re gion.
https://thewire.in/communalism/beef-odisha-engineering-college-bajrang-dal-expel
The issue snowballed into a controversy after Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists lodged a complaint with police alleging that the students in question had cooked and consumed beef in their hostel room on the night of September 11. The expulsion took place the next day even though, so far, there has been no statement from the college authorities clarifying if the meat cooked and consumed by the students was indeed beef. The term “restricted activities” is yet to be explained by the authorities.
Political analysts like Sabita Mohanty believe that saffron hold on the area is likely to get stronger in the wake of incidents like the one that took place in Parla Engineering college. “Such incidents need to be handled carefully without any kind of bias. The college authorities should act only on the merits of the case and not succumb to pressure either from politicians or any group owing allegiance to any philosophy.”
17/09/2024