Is Pune going the Delhi way? Is there no place left in the city that can be considered safe and secure? Probably not, if the recent incident at the University of Pune (UoP) premises is anything to go by. While petty crimes like bag-snatching are certainly not new to Pune, an episode like this, that too in broad daylight in a place like the sylvan UoP, makes everyone sit up and take notice.It was just another trip to the UoP for Suhasini Mishra on February 25, as she drove to meet a friend in the mathematics department on her two-wheeler in the afternoon. With her daughter as the pillion rider, Mishra, a resident of Anand Park, Aundh, entered the UoP from the gate on the Ganeshkhind road, near the Governor's bungalow.``As I crossed the main building, I slowed down because of the speed-breakers. Just then, two men on a motorcycle passed me by on the right. Suddenly, the pillion rider stretched his arm and lifted my purse from the carrier-basket attached to the handle of my scooter,'' relates a visibly upset Mishra.``After the initial shock, I revved up my scooter and began chasing the duo, speeding towards the math department. It was around 4 p.m. and there were few people. I screamed `chor chor' but I guess by the time people realised what was happening, we were gone.''Mishra chased for quite a distance when suddenly they turned into a lane, giving her the slip. ``By the time I turned back, there was no sign of them. I had checked for the number, but there was no plate. Since by then they were probably out of the campus, there seemed no point in continuing the chase. My bag - containing about Rs. 500, my bank passbooks, cheque books and some photographs - was gone. Distraught, I lodged a complaint at the Chatuhshrungi Police Station.''What was alarming about the whole incident was that while Mishra was chasing the two, the pillion rider apparently took out a sword that he brandished at her and the by-standers. ``I was so incensed at what had happened that even that did not deter me. But I realise now that things could have turned uglier. Imagine something like this happening in broad daylight, that too in a supposedly safe area like the UoP!'' she exclaims.``The problem with the security at the university is that there are gates from all sides - it's open from the Aundh, the Ganeshkhind and the Spicer College roads. And these gates are unmanned. No one questions the people who enter the premises, no records are maintained. Even if questioned, the visitors simply say they are students. After 6 p.m., the place is overrun by young couples. How many can you question and on what basis?'' counters Inspector Vilas Jadhav of the police station.Nevertheless, Jadhav maintains that the university has by and large remained a crime-free zone. ``The only such incident I can recollect took place in 1995, when a lady's handbag was snatched. We caught the culprits. This time, too, we are on their trail. In fact, we have identified that the youths came from the hutments outside the university gates. Even their motorcycle was a stolen one. We will nab them soon.'' But that, obviously, will not deter the repetition of such incidents in future.``I have been to the campus on a number of occasions earlier but nothing like this ever happened then, even after sunset hours,'' states Mishra. ``We are really shocked. You think such things happen only to others. Once you experience it, it's quite an eye-opener.''Not just for her, but also probably for other regular visitors to the popular campus - be it for studies, research or even a leisurely stroll. And who may now think twice before they turn into any of the UoP's deserted lanes.
