It was like another of those normal nights in Manipal. Late night parties, clubbing and interminable joy among the students was a common sight. This was one thing that compared Manipal to big clubbing cities of India or maybe even par with some of those. But this ungrateful night changed it all. The party town has been stunned in silence due to the recent turn of events.
The everlasting nights in Manipal resonating of the latest music tracks and vehicles of all kind- from the rare expensive ones to the customized ordinary is now gone. A student of Manipal Institute of Technology breathed his last after he fell from the fourth floor of an apartment here on 1st February. According to police, T. Praneet Reddy (20) a second year student of computer science had gone to visit his friends at the apartment. At around 3:30 A.M, he fell from the balcony of the apartment causing utter chaos. He was rushed to the hospital, where he breathed his last.
Following this event, Manipal Police has tightened its grip on the students. The students have been restricted to roam in the town after 12:30 A.M. Students would be monitored for drugs and alcohol abuse if they are found doing the same and might even be dragged to the police station if they are found on the streets after the given time.
Drug abuse has been a significant thing in Manipal and this incident has definitely triggered the bells for the University and the cops. However, a complete lock down of the town doesn’t seem to be a logical answer. Some students have been reported being mishandled by the police in late hours without any fault of theirs.
Banning the movement of students due to this is like comparing the reason of rapes to be chowmein, dress or just anything else rather than the rapists. I know, it is a sensitive and a very serious issue in hand right now and the correct steps must be taken before it meets chaos. But for this, it is important to take the right steps. Just stopping anything on the streets won’t solve the problem here. It might just be able to curb it on the roads.
The logical answer to this lies in understanding the situation with required seriousness and empathy without hurrying over it. Students under drug abuse should be monitored or maybe counselled or talked upon rather than pressing charges or being treated badly. Have a seminar on that, make people aware of the situation ahead and how ugly can it get.
Pressing heavy norms and stripping students the freedom to roam on the streets ain’t going to solve it. Everyone has the legal right to roam on the streets in their own country at whatever time they might want to. Stripping people of their rights won’t help this situation at all. It’s high time, the students, administration and the Police officials join hands for this cause to curb the substance abuse. It will only work if all are at the same page. Suppression never works.
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