Bhubaneswar: Utkal University authorities have dismissed reports of a bomb attack on the campus as rumours, while stepping up security measures to ensure the safety of students amid heightened tension ahead of the student union elections.

The university has been placed on high alert following reports that three crude bombs were allegedly hurled near Gopabandhu Hostel around 11.30 pm on Sunday. No injuries were reported in the incident, which triggered panic among hostel inmates and led to protests by students near the university's main gate.

Jagneshwar Dandapat, election officer of Utkal University, said the reported bomb incident was entirely a rumour. He said the university authorities were taking all necessary steps to prevent any untoward incident on the campus.

The university is under round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, with more than 250 cameras installed across the campus. CCTV cameras have also been discreetly installed at highly sensitive locations to strengthen monitoring, Dandapat said.

Security has been reinforced at the university's main gate, where university security personnel have been deployed alongside police forces. Additional security personnel have also been stationed at sensitive locations, including the girls' hostel lane, boys' hostel lane, market complex, Talapadeswari Lane and Gandhi Shanti Sthal.