MANIT in Madhya Pradesh opts for online classes after tiger enters 650-acre campus

Image Credit: ANI; Representational purpose only

Bhopal: Classes at the prestigious Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh went online on Thursday after a tiger entered its 650-acre campus, leading to its closure for safety reasons, an official said. Forest department officials informed about the tiger's pugmarks being spotted after which it was decided to have classes in online mode, MANIT Registrar Binod Doley told PTI.

"We will resume offline classes mostly probably next week as forest officials are hopeful the tiger would move out of the campus on its own in a day or two. Cages have been put up by forest department staff and drones as well as cameras have been deployed to monitor the tiger's movement," he said.

"Some 100 acres of the campus is covered with thicket. Teachers, staff and their kin, numbering around 1,000, and 5,000 hostellers have been asked to stay indoors during the night. We have held drills on the campus to tackle emergencies," Doley added.

No one has seen the tiger physically but pugmarks have been spotted, while forest department officials have said the wild cat has attacked two or three cows, Doley said.

Bhopal Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Alok Pathak told PTI his department wants the tiger, possibly two years old, to move out naturally, adding that wild cats from the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over Raisen and Sehore districts, have now begun moving into Kerwa area here.