MYSURU: This youth has probably not heard of the idiom "once bitten, twice shy". And he learned it the hard way. A differently abled diploma student was thrashed black and blue by inmates of a girls' hostel for allegedly entering the restroom of postgraduate students in the wee hours of Wednesday. The girls said the same youth had entered the hostel a day earlier but managed to escape.

Police did not reveal the identity of the youth, stating that he is unsound and undergoing treatment.

Sources in the private institute in west Mysuru, where the accused is a student, said he is pursuing a diploma in architecture and is from Andhra Pradesh.

The accused entered the single-storey hostel, which has no compound wall, at 1am. Some inmates spotted him inside and began to thrash him. In a bid to escape from their clutches, the youth locked himself inside the restroom.

Security guards and police were informed about the incident and rushed to the spot. M Rudraiah, dean of student welfare, University of Mysore, said the girls knew about his previous attempt to enter the hostel and had alerted the authorities.

The hostel has nearly 250 inmates who said the incident has left them insecure. They staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding authorities to construct a wall and and adopt measures to strengthen security in the hostel.

C Basavaraj, registrar, University of Mysore, rushed to the hostel and assured the girls of beefing up security.

Jayalakshmipuram police have taken the youth into custody.

