Paradip on boil after student-police clash
10 students arrested, heavy security personnel deployed to maintain law and order
By Sudhir Ranjan Dash
Paradip, Dec. 25: Several students on Tuesday allegedly ransacked the office of JSW Group in Odisha’s Paradip town alleging non-fulfillment of job assurance by the company.
According to reports, members of Student Organisation of Biju Patnaik University (SOBU) had on October 15 staged a dharna, following which the firm assured them of providing jobs.
The students arrived at the office and vandalized furniture, computers and other articles. Later, they headed towards police station to file a complaint against the firm.
Reports said the students were sitting on a dharna for two months in front of the JSW office demanding jobs as per an understanding between them and the company authorities. However, as none of them were allegedly engaged in the cargo berth construction work by the company at the Paradip Port, the grew suspicious about the company’s motive and vandalized the office.
Tension ran high as cops resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse other students.
Acting on a complaint lodged by the company officials, the police arrested 10 students, including SOBU president Jugojyoti Swain and Sarada Prasanna Behera, and forwarded the to court.
The students were sent to jail after the court rejected their bail pleas.
The district police deployed armed security personnel to avoid any futher untoward situations.
“The situation in the port is under control. We have made tight security arrangement to avoid any further unpleasant situations,” said inspector Ranjan Kumar Samal.
