Lucknow University boys booked for raiding mess, stealing CCTV record

LUCKNOW: Three days after they had damaged the biometric attendance machines, a group of Lucknow University hostellers broke into the central mess, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday . They held a mess staff captive and stole the digital video recorder (DVR) containing with footage of the six CCTVs installed in the building. LU has lodged a complaint with the police.The daring incident, LU officials said, was aimed at destroying the CCTV footage to prevent identification of and action against those who broke the biometric machines but that footage had already been taken out and a copy of it is safe in a pendrive. Following the incident, the mess staff boycotted work and refused to serve meals to over 500 students in all six boys hostels According to the mess manager Dhananjay Singh, at 2.30am, a group of hostellers entered the mess climbing the entrance wall, while four waited outside. Two of them covered their faces and entered the staff room searching for CCTV footage. The group first threatened the mess staff to share the password of the computer, but when he refused, they took away the DVR.
“The students asked for the password of CCTV recording and when the mess worker said he did not know it, they took away the recording system,“ said Singh. The DVR had the recording of the six CCTV cameras installed at the dining hall of the mess, he added.
Singh said the mess worker escaped out fear and told other staff about the incident before leaving. “Workers were not ready to serve breakfast to the hostellers after the act of indiscipline but since all preparation for breakfast was done in the night, they later agreed to serve,“ he said.
New rules to check ndiscipline
LU authorities have drafted new rules to handle indiscipline. Every hosteller will be issued a mess card and a hostel card which will be checked by five security guards at the mess gate. Those not carrying the two cards will be denied mess facility. The university also directed for new biometric machines installed with special features that will refuse to record attendance if a student takes more than the sanctioned three meals in a day.
This incident shows that students have no fear of law, and outsiders are meddling with university affairs. Such a situation has been created because of lack of swift and strict action in cases of indiscipline in Lucknow University in the past few months. Despite CCTV footage in hand, LU is in the process of identifying the group which broke the biometric machines.On the other hand, an outsider caught by officials was allowed to go by police. A coordinated effort by the university and police is need to check such criminal acts or it will tarnish LU's image beyond repair, affecting future of the students graduating from here.