Rourkela: The first day of college, for the girl students, at some of the leading colleges here has not been something to write home about. They were not complaining about ragging. It was rather the presence of the roadside Romeos in front of the colleges and their behaviour that irritated these girls. The college has just opened for the Plus II students. And for the girls, the very first day was not really pleasant. “What are they doing in front of our college? It is not their area, because this is a women’s college,” said a girl student of a leading women’s college here. “What we faced while entering and coming out of the college was unbearable. It was even worse than ragging,” said a girl fresher of a college in the sector area.
Another girl said, “For these boys, who come in fancy bikes and never look like they belong to any college, the best place to show off their biking stunts is in front of our college.” What really irked the girls is eve-teasing. “Passing comments is an alien culture in Rourkela. We have never seen this in Rourkela. Even from our parents, we have heard that in Rourkela there is no place for eve-teasing. Although it is not rampant, still why will they pass comment at us?” said the girls with their discomfort very much visible. “The road Romeos are quite clever. They do not stand exactly in front of the college. They just stand some 200 metres away from the college and do their antics. They are scared of the police. If they see the patrolling van coming, they will just disperse to come back again after a while,” said a girl. The two leading women’s colleges in the city are the cases in this point. “A little more frequent police presence near the college and the bus stops will definitely help,” said the girl. When this was brought to the notice of the Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, he said, “I have not received any complaint so far. But, definitely, I have taken note of this and will do the needful.”