Sunday, August 26, 2012

No action against ragging accused, UIET recommends suspension

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-action-against-ragging-accused-uiet-recommends-suspension/992896/

In the alleged ragging case reported on Thursday in the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), the disciplinary committee is yet to decide whether the case was of ragging or not. After a student, Gaurav Chowdhary, reported that he had been ragged and assaulted by Dharmendra Bishnoi, another student of UIET, about 50 other students had also given a written complaint against him to the DSW. A disciplinary committee was formed by UIET director Renu Vig to look into the matter.

After the committee’s meeting on Friday, Vig said that only second-year students, who had signed the complaint, turned up for verification. She said, “Ragging is usually done against freshers. Therefore, an anti-ragging action cannot be taken against Dharmendra.” However, she added that Dharmendra’s actions were bullish towards other students and a written recommendation had been sent to the DSW, stating that he should be suspended from attending classes.

The DSW, however, said that he had not received any written intimation yet. Dharmendra, who was arrested on Thursday, was produced before the SDM (Central) and released on bail.

Three suspended from government medical college for ragging first year post-graduate student

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-23/surat/33341282_1_student-medical-reports-graduate

SURAT: Authorities at the government medical college (GMC) have suspended three students on the charges of having ragged a junior. The three had allegedly mentally and physically harassed a first year post graduate student during the last one month. Some of the junior doctors and faculty members are of the opinion that the case is being covered up due to political pressure. Following repetitive mental and physical torture, Pratik Katariwala of surgery department had submitted a written complaint to the dean of GMC G R Patel earlier this week. An inquiry was initiated in the matter.

Finding the allegations true, Imran Shaikh, a third year post graduate surgery student was suspended for two years from the college. Two others Bhushan Kharche and Shailesh Patel, both second year post graduate students of the same department were suspended for one year each. "Medical reports proved that the student was victimized by his seniors. Taking disciplinary actions the seniors were suspended from the college," said Patel. In the three incidents of ragging reported over the last two years, the GMC has not initiated legal action against the accused. In this case Katariwala got his medical examination done and filed a medico legal case. "We have not lodged a police complaint as the student had filed a medico legal case.

Now the police will do its work," said Patel. Sources within the GMC informed that one of the three accused has the support of a political leader from Uttar Pradesh and this is preventing GMC from taking legal action in the matter.

Class VIII student brutally ragged

http://www.indiablooms.com/VideoDetails/2012/videoDetails200812p.php

Salboni, Aug 20 (ANI): In yet another shocking case of ragging, a class VIII student, Dipankar Mal was beaten up by five fellow students and was later locked up in his hostel room for two days in West Midnapore in West Bengal. Dipankar, a student at the Salboni High School in Salboni town alleged that he was ragged by his fellow students and was tortured with blades and sticks on the night of August 17. The boy's parents have admitted him in hospital and at present he is undergoing treatment. Speaking to media persons, the boy narrated the horrific incident and said that the five students had threatened to kill him and his father if he dared to tell this incident to someone.

Girl attempts suicide after alleged ragging in hostel

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/aug/180812-mumbai-Girl-attempts-suicide-after-alleged-ragging-in-hostel.htm

A 20-year-old student of a city-based college attempted suicide by consuming poison at her Goregaon hostel on Tuesday night. The girl alleges that constant ragging by her roommates had troubled her and unable to bear the torment, she decided to end her life. She was discharged from hospital yesterday, and has subsequently filed a complaint with the anti-ragging cell. Anita Pai (name changed), an orphan who was raised at a shelter managed by Sneha Sadan in Chembur, is a student of Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work, Churchgate, and is in her final year at the college. She alleges that after being ragged for a month by three of her roommates, she decided to take the drastic step.

After Pai consumed poison, she called up one of her friends who immediately alerted the police. Goregaon police arrived at the hostel and first took a semiconscious Pai to Bhagwati hospital, after which she was transferred to Sion hospital. The police had retrieved a suicide note from the girl’s pocket in which she wrote that she could not put up with the torture her roommates subjected her to, and hence wanted to end her life. “I had to miss a test in college that morning, as my roommates hid my cupboard key and I couldn’t get ready for college,” said Pai. “That very same night they verbally abused me and after putting up with similar harassment for a month I was fed up and decided to end my life,” she added. “My roommates knew I had consumed poison, but none of them came forward to help me,” said Pai. She further alleged that even after complaining to her college administration no action was taken against her roommates.

College authorities, however, contrary to the girls claim state that she harassed her roommates, as she is mentally unstable, and have sent her back to Sneha Sadan following the incident. “We have sent her back to the institute because of her misconduct in the past two to three days. Sneha Sadan had asked us to keep her in the hostel ever since she joined our college, but now we have decided not to let her stay here,” said Lidvin Dias, faculty member of the college. Geeta Balakrishnan, principal of the college, denied that Pai has been expelled from hostel or was even ragged. She said, “The girl is epileptic, and she is undergoing medical treatment. But, because she is on a diet she used to skip her medicine intake. Our college counsellors, including me, have counselled her several times, as she is psychologically depressed. There has never been any ragging incident in our college or hostel.

Any student or any of her roommates never ragged her. She attempted suicide because of her psychological problem. The three students are just a month old in the hostel and are postgraduate students.” Suresh Shinde, senior inspector with Vanrai Police station, said, “Preliminary investigations are ongoing, and the girl is a little mentally disturbed according to her college officials and her hostel staff. They also say that she was troubling other students. Her roommates never ragged her, as she is senior to them. They have been at that hostel for only a month. How can they rag her?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sikhs allege ragging and insult of religious symbols

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/sikhs-allege-ragging-and-insult-of-religious-symbols/1045317.html

Indore, Aug 16 (PTI) Scores of people of Guru Singh Sabha (GSS) here today held a protest outside the Superintendent of Police (East) office alleging that senior students indulged in ragging a Sikh student at a private college and poked fun at his religious symbols including "pagri and juri" on the eve of Independence Day. GSS president Gurudeep Bhatia who led the delegation and submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of Police (East), alleged that three students, Shivam Yadav, Chanchal Yadav, and Rishi Batra not only indulged in ragging the Sikh fresher Dilraj Singh Khanuja, but also removed his "pagri" and touched religious symbols before beating him up badly. The GSS demanded action against the accused and a criminal case to be filed under ragging rules against the accused, a GSS functionary told reporters at the protest site. The victim, Dilaraj, was a first year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) fresher student in Prestige College and the brother of a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader, while the accused who indulged in ragging were seniors, including the son of a former Congress councillor, the police said. The SP East OP Tripathi assured the GSS delegation of action against the culprits after investigation and a report of the college's anti-ragging committee.

Five college students suspended for creating ruckus

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-15/chandigarh/33216239_1_college-students-college-authorities-college-hostels

CHANDIGARH:Five students of a private college, in Chandigarh, were suspended, under a disciplinary action taken against them for creating ruckus and after that misguiding college authorities and police by projecting it as a ragging incident. According to the police, there was a quarrel among students of BA II and BA III students on late Tuesday. When police reached the spot, students said that third-year students were doing ragging and they also manhandled the. However, police detained four students from the spot. "The students were in an inebriated condition.

During the questioning, we discovered that no ragging took place and students were trying to misguide us. They had quarreled over some hostel issue. Accordingly, we informed the college authorities and appealed them to take action against errant students," said a police official here on Wednesday. The suspended students included two third-year and three final-year students. All of them are residing at college hostels. A senior college official said, "Earlier we came to know that some third year students were ragging the first and second year students, resulting in an uproar as a fight was initiated.

But after clarifications from police we came to know that there was no such incident of ragging. A disciplinary action has been taken and the students who were involved in creating this ruckus have been suspended."

Ragging: Cash offered to drop case

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article589740.ece

When a group of strangers visited them at the Nirmala Hospital late on Thursday night, Noushad and Mehrussna were shocked to hear the price of their daughter’s life. “We will give you 3-4 lakh rupees and you will not pursue a case. Otherwise, it may jeopardize your future,” they said before leaving abruptly. The couple were at the hospital after their daughter Shaniba had been admitted there following a case of alleged ragging in which she was brutally beaten up resulting in serious injuries to her.

The assault took place at JDT Islam IGNOU Community College where she was a first year BCom student. The college authorities later shifted her to Iqraa Hospital which functions under the same management for better care. Noushad says that efforts continued by the perpetrators of the crime to force the family to drop charges but he was determined to fight it out. “There is no way I am settling for anything other than just punishment for those who did this to my daughter,” he says. Five days after the attack, Shaniba is still in serious condition. “She had a kidney condition and undergone a major surgery just two-and-a-half years ago.

It was at the very spot where she underwent a surgery that those boys rammed in a bench repeatedly,” says Noushad. The irony is that it was her desire to study more that led Shaniba to her present condition. She had to stop going to school in her tenth standard because of her condition but was determined to pass the exams. “During my tenth standard, I was able to go to class for just one month. However, with the help of my friends who gave me notes and my teachers who helped me out, I passed SSLC exams with good marks,” said the girl from her hospital bed, mustering up all the energy left in her.

Her condition once again prevented her from being a full-time Plus-1 and Plus-2 student but she joined JDT Islam Community College and passed her final exams with more than 80 per cent marks. It was to the same institution that she went back for her undergraduate studies. “The boys came to rag us and I told them that I was no fresher as I had done my Plus-1 and Plus-2 here. The next time I saw them, I realised they had come to beat me up,” she says.

The college submitted a list of five students who were in the group a day after the incident but Chevayur police say that the students are absconding and cannot be traced. ENS Noushad, a driver by profession, confesses to being not influential enough to exert any political pressure to get the job done. And with each passing day that the accused walk free, one family’s faith in the fairness of the system dies a little.

Student's body found in pond, family suspect ragging

http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/students-body-found-in-pond-family-suspect-ragging/42977/

The body of an engineering student of the Assam Engineering College (AEC) was found floating in a pond inside the college campus triggering suspicion of ragging. Madhurjya Barukiyal, who hailed from Kamargaon in Golaghat, had gone to bath in the pond after playing a game of football last evening.

His body was later recovered from the pond. Barukiyal had joined the college only last week. His body was sent for postmortem at the Guwahati Medical College and later taken to his hometown. Family members of the boy claimed that it was a case of ragging and demanded a proper investigation into the incident.

Ragging in top flying school, 2 expelled

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ragging-in-top-flying-school-2-expelled/986760/0

India's premier pilot training institute, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), which functions under the aegis of Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been hit by a ragging scandal. The IGRUA management last month terminated two senior pilot cadets for their alleged involvement in a serious case of ragging, in which a junior cadet was subjected to cruelty and mental harassment. The junior cadet was also threatened with dire consequences when he made a formal complaint.

In July this year, pilot cadet Venu Madhvan complained to Director IGRUA, who instituted a board of inquiry, which found the complaint to be correct. On a surprise check, conducted by the management, the culprits were allegedly found to be heavily drunk and indulged in abusive behavior. When contacted, Director IGRUA Air Marshal AK Verma said that the two cadets have been terminated from the course for their involvement in ragging. “The complainant boy was feeling threatened and mentally harassed, so we decided to terminate Ishan Singh and Aditya Gupta from the course,” he said, adding that both of them have logged more than 100 flying hours.

 In the meantime, inquiries revealed that one of the accused is a habitual offender and was earlier terminated for alleged drug abuse. Air Marshal Verma confirmed that Ishan Singh was earlier suspended for drug abuse. On December 2, 2011, The Indian Express had reported that six cadets, including two Afghan nationals, were sacked for alleged drug use. The urine samples of cadets had tested positive for marijuana. Both consumption and possession of marijuana is illegal and can attract imprisonment from six months to 10 years.

The cadets were enrolled in the 200-hour training for Commercial Pilot License (CPL). Most of these cadets are said to have completed a “substantial” part of the course for which the fees are an estimated Rs 25 lakh per head. IGRUA falls in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is on its governing council. The IGRUA council, under the chairmanship of Secretary, Civil Aviation had recently decided to set up an international aviation university and a helicopter-training institute.

The institute offers a range of courses, including the Commercial Pilot License course, refresher courses for flying instructors and simulator training. It also provides pilot training to the Indian Airlines, paramilitary and defence forces.

Five collegians suspended for ragging

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-08/mumbai/33100000_1_maharashtra-prohibition-college-authorities-final-year-students MUMBAI:

Five final-year students of L S Raheja College of Art in Bandra have been suspended by the college authorities for ragging a group of juniors outside the campus last week. The five—all doing diploma in applied arts—faced action after an inquiry by the college found them guilty of ragging and harassing 11 juniors on a local train. The college has submitted a report to the Bandra Government Railway Police and the students will remain suspended till the police complete their probe. The incident took place on July 26 when 11 third-year students , five of them girls, boarded the 7.22pm Churchgatebound train from Bandra. The five seniors got into the same bogie and accosted them. We were roughed up and humiliated, says victim.

Cracking the whip on ragging, L S Raheja College of Art has suspended five final-year students for harassing a group of juniors on a local train on July 26. The five seniors who were in the same compartment as the victims first accosted them. "They demanded money from the girls, and when they refused, they roughed up the boys. They also humiliated the girls in front of the other commuters . This group had an altercation with a few boys from our batch in the college canteen some days ago. This time we decided to take the matter to the police and put an end to the torture," one of victims of the ragging said.

On July 27, the group of 11 complained to the college authorities and later, along with their batchmates, lodged a complaint with the Bandra GRP. On July 30, GRP officials got in touch with the college management and also spoke to the students involved in the incident. The police had asked the college management to conduct an inquiry and submit a report along with a complaint , if they found anyone guilty. "We immediately set up a committee and started an inquiry . All the students involved were questioned and we found five guilty of ragging and harassing juniors. We suspended the students and also submitted a report to the Bandra GRP on Monday," college principal Sridhar Badhekar said. "The principal of Raheja College submitted a report to us and also mentioned the names of the five students suspended . We will be seeking permission from a magistrate court to investigate the case. Under section 155 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a case which is non-cognizable in nature cannot be probed by the police without the orders of the magistrate," senior inspector V Dhopavkar of Bandra GRP said.

Around three years ago, the University Grants Commission had sent out circulars to all schools and colleges across the country about the 'no-tolerance' stand on ragging . Guidelines on what amounts to ragging and helpline numbers were also shared with colleges. The stringent measures initiated by the educational institutions had brought down ragging on campuses.

The state, too, has laid down guidelines against ragging . As per section 6 (1) of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999, "Whenever any student, parent or teacher of an educational institution complains of ragging to the head of the institution in writing , the head shall enquire into it within a week. If found true, the student accused of the offence should be suspended and the complaint should immediately be forwarded to the concerned police station." If the head of the educational institution fails or neglects to take action, he will be deemed to have abetted the offence of ragging and shall, on conviction , be punished under provisions of the Act, according to section 7.

Five Tripura University students expelled for ragging

http://tdnpost.com/lifestyle/education/five-tripura-university-students-expelled-for-ragging-68415.html

Agartala, Aug 5 (IANS) Five students of Tripura University here were expelled for assaulting several junior students in the hostel, officials said Sunday. “Five students of the university were expelled after they physically tortured many junior students during the past one week in the institution’s hostel.

The condition of one student was stated to be serious due to torture late Friday night and he was shifted to hospital,” an official of the central university told reporters. Several other students received injuries during the ragging. The decision to expel the students was taken after the anti-ragging committee submitted its report to university vice chancellor Arunoday Saha, who was not available in Tripura for comment. “This is the first time that Tripura University has expelled five students after it was set up in 1987,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

 The Daily News Post India (tdnpost)

7 students of Government Ayurvedic college held for thrashing batchmate

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-30/nagpur/32941265_1_batchmates-students-seniors

NAGPUR: City police have charged seven first year students of Government Ayurvedic College on Umrer Road with rioting and causing grievous hurt. One of their batchmates had lodged a complaint on Saturday evening that he and some of his friends had been subjected to ragging. Vishal Mali had approached police with visible injury marks on his body after being thrashed by batchmates over a trivial issue.

Acting on Mali's complaint, Sakkardara police arrested Sumeet Nake, Mahesh Kale, Kalpesh Katariya, Sharad Bajaj, Rupesh Sarpe, Bharat Ubhale and Prashant Nagre. All the accused and the victim are students of Bachelor of Ayurveda medicine and surgery (BAMS). Mali is the son of a reputed Ayurveda practitioner Dr Gajanan from Akola. The fight started over the use of warm water in washing clothes. Vishal was near the taps and was asked by Nake to go inside the bathroom to wash clothes. Vishal refused, leading to a heated argument between Vishal and Nake. Very soon Vishal was outnumbered by Nake and his friend, who pinned down Vishal and showering him with blows and punches. Kale fetched a stick and repeatedly hit Vishal.

After the incident, Vishal informed his father Dr Gajanan before heading to Sakkardara police station to report the matter. "I had already complained about harassment by seniors, which prompted them to devise a fresh strategy to corner me. The seniors urged my batchmates to mentally and physically torture me, which is no less than any ragging," said Vishal. Dr Gajanan said a complaint of ragging has been already given to the college in November last year. There was a compromise after that, but the situation did not change, and in fact worsened for his son Vishal, said Dr Gajanan, who vowed to take up the issue with the human rights commission.

Sources from Sakkardara police station said since the issue was between students of the same batch, the incident cannot be described as ragging. "Police cannot directly call it ragging, without the college and university authorities describing it as such after formal procedures and an internal inquiry," said an officer. Associate professor Dr EE Moses, also holding additional charge of hostel superintendent, said a committee was formed under Dean Dr Ganesh Mukkawar after Vishal complained of ragging, but the matter was amicably settled. "It seems the latest incident is another fight after sudden provocation," he said. Dr Moses, however, indicated that the latest issue would be brought before the authorities to decide the future course of action.

Complaints by other students too Nagpur:

Ankit Narwade, first year student of Government Ayurvedic college on Umrer road, said ragging in the institution had forced him to spend a couple of nights on the railway platform in the past. "I had to take shelter in a lodge for fear of being ragged in the hostel by seniors," he said. Another first year student, Pranab Kolhe, said that seniors needed to be addressed as 'sir' and one had to keep his eyes down when they passed by. The students also claimed that they would be locked inside the rooms and washrooms, asked to learn the names of seniors by heart, consume liquor and face humiliation, including keeping their head bowed while standing for long hours.

Ragging horror: Andhra college girl loses voice

http://zeenews.india.com/news/andhra-pradesh/ragging-horror-andhra-college-girl-loses-voice_789145.html

Hyderabad: In a shocking incident, a college girl student in Andhra Pradesh lost her voice after alleged ragging by her seniors. The incident took place at the hostel of Gayatri Junior College at Gotlam in Vijayanagaram district on July 19 but came to light on Sunday when she was shifted to Visakhapatnam for treatment.

Shamili, a student of 11th standard who had taken admission last month, was allegedly ragged by some senior girl students when she was alone in her hostel room on the night of July 19. In her written complaint to the police, the girl alleged that her roommates had gone for dinner and there was power shutdown in the hostel when some girls entered her room and attacked her in darkness. They tried to throttle her with a rope. The injury marks were clearly visible on her throat.

A shocked Shamili lost her voice and could not speak when her roommates returned. The girl was sent to a local hospital and later to district hospital in Vijayanagaram, about 700 km from Hyderabad. As the girl did not get back her voice, her family shifted her to Visakhapatnam. Shamili's father, who broke down while talking to reporters, said they lodged a complaint with police, who are investigating the incident. IANS

Suspected ragging kills science student

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-19/bhubaneswar/32746213_1_college-authorities-college-staff-pond

 BHUBANESWAR: A college student died after being allegedly ragged by his seniors in Madanpur area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday, sparking tension in the private institute. The Plus II science student Ipsit Nayak's body was found floating in an artificial pond of a stone quarry, a day after he went missing. The pond is located a stone's throw from NIIS Institute of Business Management where he was studying. A native of Balangir district, Nayak was staying in hostel. "My son became a victim of ragging. Some of his rival seniors from Bihar insisted him to play with them, later murdered him and threw him in the pond," his father Rajendra Nayak told media persons. He lodged a complaint in this regard at Janla police outpost demanding arrest of the accused.

Janla outpost's in-charge Dhruba Charan Pradhan said: "Prima facie it seemed to be a simple case of drowning. There were no external injuries on body. Postmortem report can establish the exact cause of death." Ipsit's mother Basanti Nayak raised finger towards the college management for failing to maintain cordial atmosphere in the college. "The college staff abetted the crime. Why did the hostel authorities allow him to go out while it was raining," she asked. College principal Bhabani Sankan Rath refuted charges of ragging in the college. "We do not encourage ragging in the institute.

The students, along with Nayak were playing. Perhaps he drowned while swimming in the pond. I do not think he was murdered," Rath said. The college was declared sine die in view of tension on the campus. Sources said Nayak moved out of the college around 5 pm while it was raining. When he did not return hostel in evening, his friends said he was playing with others near the pond. The college authorities informed Janla police around 8pm and later informed the fire brigade. The firefighters frantically searched him till late night, but could not trace him.

MGM student arrested for ragging

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/ranchi/78038-mgm-student-arrested-for-ragging.html

A final year student of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly ragging and beating up a junior student for not giving him the cellphone number of a first year girl. Deputy Superintendent of Police RR Singh said the accused, Rajiv Ranjan, was arrested from his hostel. “First year student Priyam Kumar had filed complaint against Rajiv at MGM Police Station on Tuesday — concerning ragging.

The junior alleged that he was beaten up during the ragging for not providing the cellphone number of a girl of his batch to the senior,” noted the DSP. Singh said as it was not a usual case of ragging — normal for the takes start of a session — the police were investigating it. The complainant, Priyam Kumar (20), a native of Sahebganj, had on Monday lodged a verbal complaint with the MGM Police Station and college principal AN Mishra.

On Tuesday, he made it a written complaint at the police station. "Rajiv asked me to become 'murga'. Then he asked me to undress and when I protested, he slapped me. He then locked me in a room and threatened me with dire consequences," Priyam had said. Concerned over recent ragging incidents in the college, the State-run MGM College & Hospital has decided to revamp the Anti-Ragging Cell to make it more effective.

Daly College: Student suspended for bullying

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MP-IND-daly-college-student-suspended-for-bullying-3523855.html

Indore: A day after media reported that ragging had taken place at Daly College, the school authorities suspended a student accused of bullying about a dozen juniors. The incident had taken place on the residential premises of the school five days ago. The accused, Raj Rai, a standard XI student had beaten up some standard X students at their boarding house on Saturday night. Following this, the parents of the victim students had lodged a formal complaint with school authorities on Monday.

The school authorities had been keeping the issue under wraps and had not even lodged a police complaint in stark violation of Supreme Court directives regarding ragging. Things came to fore only when a section of media reported the incident on Thursday.

On Friday, activists of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a demonstration against the incident outside the school premises. Some of them even barged inside after climbing over high gates of the school and going right up to the porch of the historic 130- year old main building to hold protest. The school authorities then called in the police to push out protesting activists. "An inquiry has been initiated on Friday and the student stands suspended till it is completed. Whether he will be rusticated or not would depend upon report by school disciplinary committee," said school PRO KS Kapasiya.