Mangalore: Students from Hassan accuse career guidance institute of cheating
Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (BG)
Mangalore, Oct 30: A few students from Hassan have alleged that a career guidance institute based in the city cheated them by not providing them job placements at the end of their academic courses, as promised initially.
Academy of Career Guidance Incorporation (Trust) near Bikarnakatte run by its chairman Santosh Kumar S provides job-oriented training to students, especially those from financially poor families, in different fields like army, technical and government services. Most of the students hail from outside Mangalore and Udupi regions and they are given hostel facilities.
The students are required to pay anywhere between Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.20 lac at the beginning of the course, depending on the field they opt for. At the end of the course, the students are asked to take an exam, after which they are placed in jobs.
Among the students who joined the academy, around 20-30 students hail from Hassan. While some of them are still undergoing training, a few are yet to get jobs. It is said that the students who are not yet employed approached Santosh Kumar several times asking for placements over the last eight months, but each time he assured them of giving jobs and sent them back. He refused to pay back their money too, the students allege.
Finally, fed up of waiting, the students sought the help of Samata Sainika Samiti, Hassan. On Tuesday, the students along with members of the Hassan-based Samiti and the local unit of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti came to the institute and questioned Santosh Kumar over the issue.
They also staged a protest outside the institute and alleged that when they went to speak to Santosh, he and his staff put them out and tried to assault them.
One of the protestors claimed that he had taken Rs 50,000 as loan to pay his son's fees, but when he was not given a job, his son left home dejected at wasting the money. The institute is said to have given him a cheque which bounced.
The institute has only one entrance and is guarded by high corrugated sheets, but strangely enough, Santosh Kumar seemed to have gone missing without anyone's notice, as he was not found inside the institute or its premises when the protestors and police entered a while later.
The Kadri police led by inspector Raghav Padil and SI Madan Kumar who arrived at the spot took the other people at the institute for questioning. A case against the institute registered later.
Sources said that a year ago the inmates in the institute's hostel had complained about the poor quality of food served to them.