The statue of Thomas Edward Ravenshaw at the Ravenshaw library and (right) the bare base after the bust was stolen. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 29: A bust of T.E. Ravenshaw, the founder of Ravenshaw College, has gone missing barely 24 hours after it was installed at the Hall of Fame in the university’s Kanika Library.

Thomas Edward Ravenshaw was the commissioner of Odisha during the great famine of 1866 and founded three eponymous institutions, including the Ravenshaw College in Cuttack in 1868. The two other educational institutions that he had founded were Ravenshaw Collegiate School and Ravenshaw Girls’ School. It has been eight years since the Ravenshaw College has been accorded the status of a university.

Sources said two to three goons entered the Kanika Library today, shortly after it had opened for students around 10am and stole the fibre bust. The much-awaited Ravenshaw Hall of Fame was launched yesterday with vice-chancellor B.C. Tripathy installing the busts of Ravenshaw and Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo, philanthropist and former Maharaja of Mayurbhanj.

The fibre busts was fitted into wooden frames to honour the two stalwarts for their contribution to the Ravenshaw College. The thieves, however, left the bust of Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo intact.

“Only a few students and a library attendant were present when the thieves entered the hall of fame on the pretext of repairing the bust. We have reported the theft to the authorities,” said Janajagruti Das, librarian.

“We suspect that the statue has not gone out of the varsity campus. We will lodge a complaint with Malgodown police,” said Pradipta Mohapatra, vice-chancellor (in-charge) of the university. He said an order for a new bust had been placed with suppliers, who were likely to install it in 15-20 days. Ravenshaw registrar Padan Jena said on the V-C’s direction a complaint had been lodged with Malgodown police station this evening.

However, Malgodown police station in-charge Rabindranath Satpathy said: “We are yet to receive any complaint from the university in connection with the incident so far.”

Students had raised funds through a campaign appropriately named “Fight for the Founder of Ravenshaw” and had installed both the busts.

“We had collected Rs 50,000 from the students for installation of the statues. Over 1,500 students had also supported our campaign on the Facebook,” said Prahalad Sahu, a student. Though the bust was not hugely expensive, the fact that such an incident could happen at a premier educational institution has angered students and they have raised questions about campus security. The students have demanded installation of a new bust of Ravenshaw at the Hall of Fame. Though university officials suspect the role of insiders in the theft, Stitapragyna Das, president of the varsity students’ union, has demanded a probe into the theft.