The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Obscene posters under fire

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Obscene posters under fire

STUDENTS OF Andhra Christian College at Guntur found the obscene\semi-nude wall posters being put up by the cinema halls was one of the causes leading to eve-teasing.

At the first interactive programme on eve-teasing and ragging organised by the Guntur District Police on the A.C. College Campus on Wednesday, Ramana, a second year science student, opined that unless the police stops obscene programmes being telecast on cable TV networks and Satellite TV channels, the incidents of eve-teasing could recur.

A third year science student, K. Nageswara Rao, wanted discipline committee to be constituted in the college so that complaints of the students could be heard, while a second year student J. Amanullah, sought security for girls coming to colleges in the city.

Ironically, the question and answer session, which was to be handled by the Superintendent of Police, Ravi Shankar Ayyannar, was hijacked by the A.C. College Principal, Sujatha, who gave answers to all the questions raised by the students. She said the college had a disciplinary committee, where the students could get their grievances redressed and a campaign was run to remove the obscene posters all around the college with the help of students.

While more than 700 students participated in the interactive session, only three boys dared to speak and none of the girls opened their mouths. Added to this was the lengthy speech given by the retired principal of the Tuni Government Degree College, Muppalla Hanumantha Rao.

The Superintendent of Police made a power-point presentation touching all aspects of ragging and eve-teasing with an introductory note dealing with other aspects of police-student interface\confrontation. Dr. Ravi Shankar Ayyannar noted that there was a spurt in the number of eve-teasing and ragging cases in the Guntur district ever since the Sri Lakshmi murder case in Vijayawada came to light.

He advised the college to constitute an Anti-Ragging Committee immediately if it did not have one as it was mandatory under the A.P. Ragging Act, 1997. An alternative forum for complaint would soon be available for the net-savvy students very with the district police launching its own website, where they could register their complaint, he explained.

Cautioning the boys and girls on their habit of visiting the `Internet Cafes', he said many instances of students (especially girls) becoming victims of cyber crimes and some of the cyber café managers recording the activity of the students in the closed chambers.

in Guntur.

Ramesh Susarla

in Guntur.

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