Bhopal: Govt may ask coaching centres to close by 8 pm

Bhopal: State government may soon come out with new norms for coaching institutes following the gang rape of a 19-year-student in the city. Minister of state for technical education (independent charge) Deepak Joshi told Free Press on Monday that the government would ask coaching institutes to end classes before 8 pm.

If any institute wants to continue classes beyond the stipulated time, then its management would be responsible for the security of girl students till they reach their respective houses or hostels.

Joshi said that coaching institutes would be asked to develop a mobile app to help trace students’ location. A regulatory apparatus for coaching institutes and private hostels too would be put in place, he added. He further said that the state government would develop and launch an app that would allow students to get in touch with Dial 100 in case of danger or untoward incident. The minister also said that girl students would be trained in self-defense.

Joshi said that the government would do everything possible to prevent repeat such a horrific incident. Reacting to the minister’s statement, Congress state general secretary Chandrika Prasad Dwivedi said that providing security to women and girls was the responsibility of police and government. The government, he said, was issuing meaningless and dictatorial diktats to hide its failures.

Minister unhappy

Minister for urban development Maya Singh is dissatisfied with the action taken against police officers who dilly-dallied in registering complaint of the gang rape victim. She said that the government should have meted out tougher punishment to them.