Security measures beefed up at Pune varsity

The University of Pune, which has a large number of foreign students, is being fortified with enhanced security measures, a fall-out of the blast in German Bakery in the city on February 13.

The sprawling campus of the prestigious varsity, with houses a number of key research institutions, may soon have closed-circuit television system and armed guards to stave off any possible threat, sources said.

This cultural capital of Maharashtra, which has emerged as a major education hub, boasts of nearly 14,000 foreign students, the largest number in an Indian city. In a communication to the university officials within days of the German Bakery blast, in which two foreigners were among the dead, the city police identified sites on the campus for stepping up security with specific norms.

Noting that the 62-year-old institution has students from as many as 104 countries, police have asked the varsity administration to furnish the list of foreign students, as they could be viewed as vulnerable soft targets.

Law enforcing agencies have sought the installation of baggage X-ray scanner in front of the foreign students' hostel and deployment of armed guards there and at other landmarks like the historical Jaykar Library.