Will act against those threatening students if plaint is filed: Bengaluru top cop

BENGALURU: A day after commotion prevailed at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Yelahanka, police commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Wednesday said no one should barge into educational institutions and action would be taken against those threatening students and the management if a complaint is filed.
“Nobody should barge into someone else’s property, including educational institutions. If someone has been threatened with dire consequences, we will deal with the perpetrators legally.Let the management or others file a police complaint. We will keep the names and details of complainants confidential,” he told TOI.
Notwithstanding the top cop’s assurance and increased police presence in the vicinity, silence enveloped the Srishti campus on Wednesday. While the art school is closed till Saturday, students and faculty members were cautious while stepping out.
On Tuesday, 10-12 BJP workers accompanied by Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath took exception to Srishti students painting walls of an adjacent building with what the former thought were portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which were captioned ‘Sab Changa Si’, Punjabi for ‘all is well’.
According to sources, they not only complained to the management about students taking part in anti-CAA protests, but also questioned the latter’s lifestyle — girls wearing short dresses, students parking vehicles “in wrong places” and their smoking habit.
The group’s strong-arm tactics spread panic. Police accompanying the workers towed away five twowheelers belonging to students and faculty members, which were parked in front of the institution, for violations. A senior police officer said anticipating misconduct by miscreants who could take advantage of the situation, more personnel have been deployed around the college. “The institution is closed till Saturday. But we have provided security to prevent untoward incidents,” he said.