College freshers ragged in Himachal Pradesh

By Indo-Asian News Service on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Shimla, Aug 27 (IANS) Despite the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on ragging in educational institutions, a case of physical and mental torture of freshers by groups of senior students has come to the fore at a college in Himachal Pradesh.
A group of newcomers of Rajiv Gandhi Government Postgraduate Ayurvedic College at Paprola in Kangra district Wednesday alleged that senior students had tormented them on a number of occasions in the college.
Acting principal of the college Y.K. Sharma told IANS that authorities have taken a serious view of ragging.
“I have asked the anti-ragging committee to inquire into the matter and identify the students involved in this sadistic act,” he said.
R.S. Gupta, director of the state ayurveda department, said: “The college principal has been asked to take action against the students if they are found involved in ragging.”
The department of ayurveda is the nodal agency to monitor the working of the ayurveda colleges in the state.
“We, nearly 20 freshers, were forced to walk on nearby rail tracks for more than one hour Monday night. Some of the students were beaten up because they refused to obey the orders of the seniors,” a first-year student said, on condition of anonymity.
First-year students have also been told to follow a dress code while in college.
Last year, the Supreme Court had ruled that ragging and any form or abetment to ragging, causing injury or subjecting anyone to forceful confinement, physical and sexual assault, would be treated as a criminal offence.