Hundreds of students at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur use drugs and “some 30 to 40” of them have become addicts, a probe by the college administration has found out.
The narcotics is supplied to the students through local sources of the drug mafia active in and around the campus of the Institution, an internal inquiry has revealed.
The institute has reached out to the district administration in cracking down on the local drug suppliers to rid the campus of the fast growing menace.
"As per an internal assessment, a few hundred bright students of the institute are using drugs on the campus and the situation is alarming. We have raised the issue with district magistrate Surendra Singh, who has acknowledged the fact and assured an immediate and appropriate response," Professor Manindra Agarwal, officiating director of IIT-K told the Times of India.
Media reports said the role of campus staff, including security personnel, temporary staff and fourth class employees, is also under scanner.
Kanpur DM Surendra Singh confirmed the development and said that district administration has decided to set up teams to round up the drug smugglers active in the area.
Students have easy access to all sorts of narcotics - from tobacco to cocaine - at pan and tea stalls near the campus, a media report, quoting sources, said.
Agarwal said the probe has identified some students as being “severely affected” by drug abuse "but many more are yet to be identified".
To spread awareness among the students, the college administration has pasted posters in the hostels and the campus. It also plans to hold counselling sessions for addicted students.
