Mumbai: Seven months after the alleged rape and murder of a female student at a government hostel in South Mumbai, security has been beefed up at the University of Mumbai’s (MU) Fort and Kalina campuses. Facing an acute paucity of security staff, MU has recently received 114 personnel from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), a state-run firm, taking the strength of its security force to 319. However, the university is still short of the 440 guards required to protect the two campuses.
According to a university official, the new security staff was primarily necessitated due to the addition of various new facilities at the Vidyanagri campus, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhavan (the new exam centre building), a girls’ hostel, a library and international students’ hostel. “We had only 205 security personnel, though the norms require us to have at least 440. Hence, we requested the government for more staff,” an MU official said.
CCTV Cameras To Be Installed At Govt-Run Hostels:
The additional security at MU comes in the wake of the government green-lighting the installation of CCTV cameras in 27 government-run hostels across the state. It has also approved hiring staff for vacant posts at the hostel through the labour department.
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The security measures were announced after an 18-year-old girl at Savitri Devi Women’s Hostel at Charni Road was allegedly raped and murdered by a long-time staffer. An inquiry into the incident found that the facility did not have CCTV coverage except at the entrance. The staffer was also appointed without government approval, the probe had revealed.
The varsity’s Vidyanagri campus houses six hostels – four for girls, one for boys and one for international students – a guest house, most of its academic departments and the examination department. The Fort campus, which is a heritage structure, has the varsity’s administrative offices besides the iconic Rajabai Tower and Convocation Hall.
Guards Deployed At MU Campuses:
The new entrants in the varsity’s security force include 23 female guards, 17 of whom have been posted at Kalina. These personnel have been appointed on an annual contract, with the state footing the bill for their services.
There has been no increase in 1,319 non-teaching posts, including 59 for security staff, in over a decade. Of these approved posts, only 43 are filled at the moment. In the past the varsity met its security requirement by appointing 40 personnel through the labour department’s Security Guards Board and another 122 were hired on contract basis.
The appointment of new guards through MSSC has led to resentment among the temporary employees, who are currently fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court to have their appointments regularised. However, the university has assured them that these hirings won’t impact their employment.
