SPPU faces security lockdown post 7pm

From 7 pm onwards, each and every person entering the SPPU campus from the main gate will be thoroughly checked

The body of 17-year-old Abdul Siddiqui who was murdered by his friend Umar Nasir Shaikh, 21 was found on Sunday morning inside Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus near the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) side gate.

Savitribai Phule Pune University.The body of 17-year-old Abdul Siddiqui who was murdered by his friend Umar Nasir Shaikh, 21 was found on Sunday morning inside Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) campus near the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) side gate. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Suresh Bhosale, chief security officer, SPPU said, “Once we learnt of the incident, we rushed to check where the body was found. The IUCAA section of the university does not come under our jurisdiction. They have their own separate security and therefore, the crime was not reported by our security system. However, we are still working on the overall improvement of security arrangements inside the university campus. We have started a quick reaction team (QRT) with vehicles that have closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) and a speaker for announcements. Entries have been restricted at the Joshi gate and the IUCAA gate that will now only biometric authorised persons to enter.”

Security for the SPPU campus and IUCAA section of the university is undertaken by two separate bodies. The IUCAA entry gate from the university section is protected with a biometric entry system.

In May 2012 a security guard who allegedly caught a couple in a compromising position inside the SPPU campus was shot dead by the boy. Similarly, there were four incidents in the last three months when outside persons entered the SPPU campus and allegedly tried to molest and attack students.

“From 7 pm onwards, each and every person entering the SPPU campus from the main gate will be thoroughly checked. We have also started fencing the internal roads of SPPU, as there were cases of animals coming from outside obstructing roads. Also, no one can enter the internal gardens, bushes and trees to hide in the night. All our security policemen are working round the clock for patrolling, detaining suspicious persons and to keep the campus safe for students, ” added Bhosale.