NIFT Bhubaneswar student allegedly raped, police lathicharge protesters

Bhubaneswar: A student of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Bhubaneswar was allegedly raped on Friday night when she was returning from the railway station, leading to protests on campus.

According to a report in NDTV, NIFT students have alleged that the guards did not let in a student who got raped last night outside the campus gates despite her cries for help. Following this, there have been protests on the college campus.

Police have allegedly lathicharged the protesters to prevent them from holding the protest. The police deny that any rape took place, and claim that initial investigations suggest that the girl was under some kind of medication.

The institute has claimed she is not even a student. "Nothing has happened in KIT. It's happened in NIFT. Some rumour flared up and the students want the director to come and talk to them," claimed Dr Sucheta, the director of student services at KIT. The NIFT is located inside the KIT campus.

But the students have a different version. "The girl wants to talk but she is being threatened. They don't want the NIFT name to be sullied," said a student who was among the protesters.