Sambalpur: The authorities of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) at Burla have taken disciplinary action against 100 students on charges of various forms of misconduct, including poor attendance, violation of university rules, and inappropriate behaviour. Among those punished are nine female students.
The crackdown follows the April 10 death of Saswati Bhoi, a final-year Electrical Engineering student, who drowned at the fishery point of Hirakud reservoir during an outing. Six female students – Siddheswari Moharana, Aditi Hati, Anushka Ray, Purabi Mohapatra, Adyasha Nayak, and Raseshwari Parida – have been expelled from the hostel in connection with the incident.
The university has downgraded their academic grades to ‘F’ in their courses and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the students who had violated the rules.
The administration tightened discipline rules across campus, including restrictions on leaving hostels or campus premises without permission, enforcing timely hostel return, prohibiting involvement in unethical activities, forbidding mistreatment of juniors, banning damage to university property, and maintaining a zero tolerance policy toward substance abuse.
PNN