Brahmaputra bank party hub of IIT-G students

GUWAHATI: Lack of adequate vigilance by
the administration and IIT-G authorities has
turned the bank of the Brahmaputra in
North Guwahati into a favourite party
destination for students of IIT-Guwahati.
IIT-G student Ravindra Kumar Meena, who
hailed from Dholpur in Rajasthan , was
partying on the Brahmaputra bank , along
with six other students, on Monday evening.
He drowned when he decided to take a bath
in the river. While two of his friends were
saved by locals, Meena could not be traced.
On Friday morning, his body was found
floating near the river bank.
"For the last few years, students often
frequent the banks of the Brahmaputra for
enjoying drinking sessions. Since there is no
police patrolling in the area, students find
the riverbank a favourable destination for
partying and bathing, which is dangerous,"
said an eyewitness of the drowning
incident.
Police said beer bottles were recovered from
the site where IIT-G students were partying.
A senior official of National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF) said, "Students who
come from outside Assam are hardly aware
of the strong currents of the Brahmaputra
which is very dynamic. During the
monsoon, the current in the river is very
strong." He said IIT-G authorities should
sensitize its students, particularly those
coming from outside, about the
Brahmaputra and its hazards, especially
during the monsoon.
The IIT-G authorities , on the other hand,
said if students have been going for partying
on the bank of Brahmaputra by putting
their lives in danger, the local residents
should have at least apprised the matter to
IIT-G authorities. "Till today, none of the
locals of North Guwahati have informed us
that our students are going for partying
near the Brahmaputra river bank. We will
definitely act if such things occur. But one
should not make a sweeping statement
against IIT-students," said Labanu Konwar,
spokesman of IIT-G.
Konwar said there is strict instruction to all
IIT-G students to reach the campus by 10:30
pm, but the drowning incident took place at
9:30 pm on Monday.
Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner
Ashutosh Agnihotri said the district
authorities will be cautious so such an
incident doesn't happen again. "Students
need to act responsibly. It is impossible to
keep vigil everywhere," said Agnihotri.