Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 17: His job is to do what the college asks him to do. He is an attender at a college. But he has crossed all limits and become a drunkard, and continues to linger in the women's college premises.

Ratnakar, an attender at First Grade Women's College, Balmatta here has been creating nuisance with his habitual drinking. However on Friday July 17, the students finally decided that enough was enough, and taking matters into their own hands, confronted the attender.

It is said that Ratnakar would be found drunk all the time in the college without devoting his time for his normal duties. Worse, it is alleged that he would take money from the students of the college to satisfy his addiction.

The total amount he has taken from the students has not been quantified yet. But as per the statements from students, he took Rs 1,000 each from around 25 students with a promise of giving them KSRTC bus passes. But the bus passes did not arrive. When the students came together to demand the money, Ratnakar behaved rudely with them and threatened them with consequences.

Not just that, being a group D worker, Ratnakar threatened to file an atrocity case against anybody who wanted the money back then and there. But when students refused to be bogged down, he promised to pay them back. He further said he used their money as he was facing 'tough times' but refused to admit that he spent it on liquor, and even claimed that he has never come to the college inebriated. However, his body language and the stupor he was in betrayed him.

The college principal has already complained to the education department about Ratnakar's behaviour and the way he allegedly cheated the students. Moreover, the teachers too have filed a complaint against him with the police.

Following the incident on Friday joint director of regional collegiate education Shivamurthi visited the college and held discussions with the protesting students. He also got a signed assurance from Ratnakar that he would return their money by evening. But the students were not convinced and demanded that Ratnakar be immediately dismissed as he would come drunk to the college and trouble them. 

Finally, the joint director agreed to recommend Ratnakar's dismissal to the DDPU. The students then withdrew the protest, while expressing that they felt insecure in the college premises with a drunkard lingering around.

Speaking to daijiworld, Shivamurthi said that Ratnakar paid whatever little money he had to the students and he has been told to pay back the rest of the amount by Monday July 20. "Once he pays back all the money to the students, we will take action," he said.