Students should keep away from vicious cycle of crime: CP

BHUBANESWAR: Students should not succumb to peer pressure to get into bad habits or crime but opt for a healthy lifestyle to chart out a successful career for themselves while the authorities of educational institutions should take steps to ensure discipline while promoting student-centric activities, Dr. R.P.Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, said on Monday.

Dr. Sharma was having an interaction with students of the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), run by the SOA University, while launching  a new initiative of the police to reach out to students of different educational  institutions in the twin-cities.

“It is disturbing to see students getting involved in crime and possessing firearms as well. They are in the most important phase of their career which can either make them an asset or a liability for their families and society,” he said during  the 90-minute long interaction.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nitinjeet Singh and other senior police officials were also present. Prof. P.K.Nanda, Dean (Research) of the University presided over the program and also felicitated Dr. Sharma and the accompanying officials.

Stating that the interaction with students was the first of its kind in the recent past, Dr. Sharma said it would be continued in other educational institutions subsequently to create awareness among the students while counseling them to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Sharma said he had reports that there were 126 colleges in the city with a student strength of around 1,70,000 of whom 40,000 were from other states. “Unfortunately, peer pressure was driving students into drug and alcohol addiction as they wanted to prove themselves. When students want to have their own lifestyle, it requires money which they don’t get from their parents.”

“They try to meet the expenses themselves and resort to petty crimes,” he said adding “once you get into this cycle, it’s difficult to get out of it.” 

Dr. Sharma advised authorities of educational institutions to ensure discipline while providing avenues of counseling to the students. The campus should have CCTV coverage to observe activities and compile complete database of students to have all information about them. The authorities should take up programs to promote healthy life style, he said.

Mr. Nitinjeet Singh said once the students graduated and joined work somewhere they would find it a completely different world where they would be required to prove themselves on a daily basis.

“You must spend your time wisely in the campus today while developing your skills and try to be in a hostel in the campus,” he advised.

During the interaction, students spoke about issues of eve-teasing, drugs and unruly riding of bikes outside the campus and suggested establishment of a police outpost near the college.

Dr. Sharma said establishment of a police outpost might not solve the problem but promised to enhance security in the area. Senior faculty members of ITER also attended the program.