IIT-B students demand stronger security on campus

MUmbai: The pupil community of interests at the native american bring of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has raised serious concerns o'er campus security in the wake of an alumnus being booked for filming videos outside the boys’ hostel.The Amberdkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) and IIT-B for Bharat, two of the most active students’ organisations on campus, have both issued statements over the past week, seeking protection of students’ data and privacy and strict action against the accused alumnus unauthorised intruders.The alumnus, who had completed his MTech from IIT-B, was found filming videos outside the boys’ hostel on October 12 and handed over by the institute security to the Powai police the same day. He was booked under section 66 (e) (capturing, publishing, or transmitting private images without consent) of the IT Act on October 17, following a complaint from the institute.Also Read | Ex-IIT Bombay student booked for recording objectionable videos of male students in hostelThe APPSC, in its statement, said the institute administration must protect students’ data and privacy, while IIT-B for Bharat referred to several instances of security lapses from the recent past and sought strict action against alleged culprits.‘Every student should feel safe’“Every student on this campus has the right to feel safe. The silence and inaction of the administration only embolden wrongdoers and betray the trust of thousands of students who call IIT-Bombay their home,” IIT-B for Bharat’s statement said.“The incident (of the alumnus filming videos) could have been prevented had the administration addressed long-standing concerns about loopholes in campus security,” a student told Hindustan Times, requesting anonymity.Several of the loopholes had been flagged by Insight, IIT-B’s official student media body, in a report released weeks before the incident. The report, titled ‘What’s Next for Campus Security?’ said the existing system lacks a proper mechanism to monitor visitors entering and exiting the campus.Once a person enters the campus, there is no way to track how long they stay or when they leave, the report said.“There is no reliable mechanism to track how long visitors remain or when they leave. Exit data is not collected, and no central database links gate entries to hostel records,” the report said.The challenge of tracking visitors, it stated, was most acute during major campus events, such as academic conferences and fests like Mood Indigo, Techfest, and E-Summit, which draw thousands of external participants. Security checks at the main gate were inefficient and prone to human error, especially during the morning and evening peak hours, it mentioned.According to the report, during the peak hours, guards simultaneously verify identity cards, log entries in physical registers, issue tokens to auto rickshaws, and inspect delivery packages.Led to cursory checksSuch multitasking often leads to cursory checks where identity cards are merely glanced at rather than being verified properly. The handwritten entry logs, maintained in worn registers, are neither searchable nor cross-referenced, making it virtually impossible to track patterns or identify repeat violators, the report pointed out.The report also quoted the institute’s chief security officer (CSO) saying the guest pass system would be digitised, with defined departure times, and automatic alerts would be sent to hosts when guests overstay.“We expect residents to be responsible enough to see that their guests have left the campus,” the CSO was quoted saying.The official also informed Insight that a complete overhaul of the main gate security system was in the pipeline. The new system would incorporate face scanners, biometrics and Fastag-enabled vehicle registration, automating the entry process and requiring almost zero human intervention, he said. When asked about the timeline, however, the CSO informed Insight that full implementation would take “at least 5-6 more years”.