The decision to deploy armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Valiamala has raised apprehensions among the faculty and students.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had recently decided to deploy 100 CISF personnel for providing security cover on the campus. The decision was adopted, reportedly, on the basis of intelligence reports which suggested a potential threat to the premier institute, which functions under the Department of Space. Nearly 900 students pursue courses including B.Tech., M.Tech., besides PhD programmes on the campus located in 100 acres.
The central paramilitary force will take over the security of the campus from July 1. Currently, the security services are handled by mostly ex-servicemen. The IIST had ordered the termination of their services a few months ago.
