Moral policing spoils fun night at IIT-Madras

April 6, 2012

madras


Chennai, April 6: Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has introduced a new moral code of conduct on campus, prompting protests by students who believe that the authorities are playing spoilsport. The code seeks to put curbs on the annual 'hostel night', when students are allowed to bring in friends and make merry without the prying warden around.

Among the rules that the students were notified about is: "You should keep your door open when guests are inside on hostel night." It is a once-a-year custom in all IITs when students are allowed to bring guests to their rooms.

When the students protested, IIT-M called a general body meeting on March 26, which turned out to be a stage for hot arguments and moralizing by many faculty members.

At the meeting, a senior faculty member referred to the disagreement over the new open-door rule. "What do you want to do in that private space?" he asked a student who said hostel day should provide some private space. The student answered, "I want to talk to my friends," sending the audience into splits. The faculty member replied, "Students should behave as if their parents are with them."

Probably unaware of the Supreme Court observation that it is not a crime for a man and a woman to live together without being married, a senior professor, who represents the hostel wardens, said premarital relationships were not allowed under Indian laws. So, he said, the doors should remain open, and celebrations should end at 10.30pm.

Students are upset over IIT-M move to put curbs on hostel night celebrations. A student commented: "I forgot we are adults and mature enough to decide on sex and relationships." A final-year student said it is unfortunate that an institution which stood for progressive thoughts was getting involved in moral policing.

Dean L S Ganesh said the new rules were not to curb the students' freedom, but to maintain order.

"Relationships are individual choice and I don't believe that premarital relationships are an offence. The statement by the professor was made in a different context," he said.


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Agencies
July 4,2020

The Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) of Tamil Nadu Police has arrested suspended constable Muthuraj.

Wanted in the Tuticorin custodial deaths of P Jeyaraj and his son J Bennicks, Muthuraj was arrested on late Friday.

Muthuraj was later remanded to the judicial custody till July 17.

Jeyaraj and Bennicks had been booked for not closing their mobile shop in time on June 19 by the Sathankulam police. They were sent to judicial custody and lodged in the Kovilpatti jail on June 21.

Jeyaraj died on June 22 night and Bennicks on June 23 morning in judicial custody, allegedly due to the police torture.

The Madras High Court while hearing the case had said there was prima facie evidence to register a murder case against the Sathankulam police officials.

The court also transferred the probe into the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennicks to the CBCID to gather and protect the evidence till the case is handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

It has also initiated criminal contempt cases against three police officials -- Additional Superintendent of Police Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Prathapan and constable Maharajan -- for their behaviour at the Sathankulam police station in front of Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate MS Bharathidasan who had gone for an inquiry.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

Bareilly, May 31: The Bareilly couple who had made headlines in July last year when they eloped and apprehended a threat to their life from the girl's father who is a BJP MLA in UP, is back in the news.

Ajitesh, now son-in-law of BJP MLA Rajesh Mishra, and his friend were arrested on Saturday for allegedly thrashing a youth and snatching his cell phone after a minor road mishap in Prem Nagar area of Bareilly district.

Ajitesh is married to Sakshi, daughter of the MLA and the couple had eloped last year and got married.

According to police, the youth was on his way home after buying medicines for his friend's father when his bike hit Ajitesh's SUV. Ajitesh and his friend thrashed the youth and snatched his cell phone.

Police said Ajitesh and his friend Vaibhav Gangwar were booked under IPC section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and other relevant sections.

Both have been sent to jail.

The complainant Deepanshu Maheshwari said, "When I overtook Ajitesh's car, he chased and waylaid me in the middle of the road. Thereafter, he and his friend thrashed me and snatched my phone. SHO Balbir Singh and his team rescued me."

The SHO told reporters, "We checked CCTV footage and spoke to witnesses only to find that Ajitesh and his friend had thrashed the youth. A case was registered under relevant sections and both were sent to jail after being produced before a magistrate on Saturday. The youth has been admitted to a hospital and his condition is stable."

The BJP MLA, incidentally, had snapped all his ties with his daughter Sakshi after she eloped and married Ajitesh.

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News Network
May 11,2020

May 11: Two youths allegedly gang-raped a teen and then hacked to death her 11-year old brother, who had seen their act, in a bid to hide their crime, at a village in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district, about 300 kilometres from here.

Police sources said that two youths, resident of the same village, barged into the house of the teen, when she was alone, and allegedly gang-raped her.

The victim's minor brother suddenly came into the house and protested after he witnessed his sister being sexually assaulted, sources said. The youths allegedly strangled the minor with a towel.

The alleged culprits, who hailed from influential families, 'forced' the victim's parents to bury their son and warned them against approaching the cops.

The parents, however, gathered courage and met senior police officials in Etah on Sunday after a case was registered in this regard. Police said that the body of the minor would be exhumed and a postmortem examination would be conducted.

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