Kolkata: Students of a girls’ hostel of Presidency University in Salt Lake sector I allegedly chased away a man after spotting him flashing and masturbating on a road near the hostel late on Saturday night, triggering fresh concerns over security in the area.According to students, the man was seen engaging in an alleged obscene act near the hostel at BF Block in Salt Lake. “The episode started from 2 am and continued till 3.30 am. This is not a new incident. This person had done this before and we had lodged a complaint in Nov. On Saturday, he made obscene gestures at the hostel inmates and was masturbating. The boarders were initially scared but then we thought of facing the man. We have two security guards at the gates but they were not aware of the incident. We took up brooms and sticks and told the guards to open the gates. Meanwhile , we had few numbers of cops but couldn’t reach them. We chased the man but he fled on a motorcycle. We also alerted our hostel super. After the man fled, we called the police station and the cops came,” said a boarder. Another boarder said, “The cops told us that we should close the windows or pull down the curtains at night. We want the cops to take action and increase night patrolling and security in the area.”A video purportedly showing the incident later circulated on social media.Police and civic authorities said no formal complaint had been lodged in connection with the incident. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.The episode has renewed concerns among hostel residents over safety in and around the campus. Students have repeatedly complained about inadequate surveillance and poorly lit stretches near the hostel, alleging that stalkers and perverts frequently loiter in the vicinity
