Gate closure fails to deter crime on BU campus

The Bangalore University’s Jnanabharathi campus is no stranger to notoriety.  Infamous for many acts of crime, the campus has earned a reputation as a hub of anti-social activities.

The sprawling 1,024-acre campus, which has much green cover, has proved difficult for police to monitor. Many of the forest patches provide thugs and criminals secure cover.
The City police ordered closure of the campus gates at night after a couple was robbed on the night of September 26 on the campus.

The move was opposed by several local residents who complained that the closure of gates would affect their movement. However, the measure has proved no deterrent for the criminal activities in the area.

Even though the campus gates were closed from 9 pm on Saturday to 5.30 am next morning, police said that the eight-man gang, responsible for alleged gang rape of a law school student, was able to enter the campus before the gates were closed.

The local police station, set up in 1975 — the year when the Jnanabharathi campus was started — has been unable to tackle the increasing crime.  Police at the Jnanabharathi police station said that the area under their jurisdiction is too large to handle.

They also complained that a steady increase in the population has created a difficult policing situation.

In 1994, concerned over rising crime and the burgeoning population, the City police proposed to bifurcate the Jnanabharathi station.

They demanded that a new Annapoo­­rneshwari Nagar police station be created, to help monitor Tavarekere and some areas of Jnanabharathi.

Another proposal was for a new police station at Sunkadakatte to be given responsibility for some portions of the campus. Both proposals are gathering dust in the Home department, according to senior police officers.