Chandigarh, Apr 13 (PTI): A day after a viral video showed a girl emerging out of a suitcase being carted around on a hostel campus, the private university concerned in Haryana has said it was just a "prank" being played "within the girls' hostel" by some students.

The Sonipat-based university, however, said they have taken the matter seriously and showcaused the students involved, asking them to appear before the disciplinary committee.

Safety and security of students are paramount, a university spokesperson said on Sunday, asserting "we have taken effective and immediate action in this matter".

A video clip from the O P Jindal Global University hostel on Friday showed two female security personnel opening the suitcase and the girl coming out if it. The spooky video was shared widely on social media.

With the clip generating all sorts of social media chatter and theories, the university spokesperson issued a statement on Sunday, saying it just showed a group of girls playing a prank on their friend within their hostel.

They were carting her around in a suitcase and took her outside to the grounds and upstairs, he said. They moved to a public area inside the girls hostel common corridor which is under the CCTV coverage which is when the security guards noticed suspicious activity around the suitcase, he said.

The university has taken effective and immediate action in the incident.

"This incident involved a group of students playing a prank within the girls' hostel, which unfortunately escalated to a public area where security intervened," the spokesperson said.

"All students involved have been issued showcause notices and will face the disciplinary committee. As India's leading institution, O P Jindal Global University takes student security very seriously," the spokesperson said.

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Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.

The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.

The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.

Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.

The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.

"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.

To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.

"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.

The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.

The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.

It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.