Jharkhand has got its first defence university, paving the way for its youths to train in police science and security management. 

Chief minister Raghubar Das and governor Droupadi Murmu on Monday inaugurated the Jharkhand Raksha Shakti University, which will open doors on Tuesday to 179 students who have enrolled so far in various courses, at a ceremony held at ATI auditorium in capital Ranchi.

The varsity, the country’s third such institute after the ones in Gujarat and Rajasthan, will temporarily function from the old, two-storeyed judicial academy building near ATI. 

Hailing the state higher, technical and skill development department for making the varsity a reality in record time, the chief minister, who, along with the other guests, was greeted by tribal artistes performing dance, said it would go a long way in churning out skilled hands and brains for the country’s security apparatus. 

“We conceptualised the university this January, the foundation stone was laid the same month by Union defence minister Manohar Parikkar and from tomorrow, classes will formally start for the first batch. It shows our commitment to what we say and do,” Das said in the presence of his cabinet colleague and state HRD minister Neera Yadav.

Soon, the government will also institutionalise Jharkhand CISF, a state-owned specialised army for offering industrial and organisation security, besides regular policing, the chief minister added. 

However, he didn’t offer much details. He only said the unit would be on the lines of the existing paramilitary force — Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) — but will induct the state’s youths to safeguard industries, and other commercial establishments. 

“This will make Jharkhand self-sufficient. Also, it will open employment opportunities for those graduating from Raksha varsity. In the future, the university will be a one-stop destination to hire talents in security-related establishments right from police to army to paramilitary force,” Das said. 

B.B. Anand Murty, director of higher education, said the varsity would currently offer five courses — BSc honours in forensic sciences and BSc honours in computer application and cyber security (both of three-year duration), postgraduate diploma in industrial security (one year), diploma in police science (one year) and a certificate course in police science for those who completed Class X (one year). 

Each discipline has a strength of 40 students (boys and girls). Around eight faculty members — six assistant professors and two associate professors — were given offer letters on contractual basis at Monday’s event.

“To begin with, the rented building, which has five lecture halls, forensic lab, computer lab, library and auditorium, will be sufficient to accommodate the 179 students. From the next session, we will have to look for bigger space once more students start taking admissions,” Murty said. 

Asked about the permanent campus, he said land was to be identified but they were exploring Khunti. Anand Kr, a graduate from SS Memorial College in Ranchi who has taken admission in one-year diploma in police science, said: “More than a field job, I am interested in intelligence gathering. I hope this course will hone my skills well so that I can apply for back-end jobs in police.”