[New Kerala] Girl ragged, women commission orders probe

Link to report

Raipur, Sep 21: Chhattisgarh Women Commission has ordered a probe Thursday into alleged ragging of an 18-yr-old engineering college girl student by senior students, who also prepared a sleaze CD of the victim.

The probe order was issued a day after the girl had been admitted to a government hospital late Wednesday here.

A doctor said: "She is unable to speak and falls unconscious frequently. She has been admitted to the mental ward."

"A high level probe has been ordered Thursday. We have reports that seniors, mostly girls ragged Manisha Verma, three days back," Sudha Verma, chairperson of the Chhattisgarh Women Commission told IANS.

The girl was enrolled this year in July in the first year at the Bilaspur Engineering College, 110 km from here. She was staying at the college hostel along with 35 other girl students.

"I will be able to give details only after the probe is completed. But whatever inputs we have, the girl was extremely tortured and the seniors allegedly prepared a sleaze CD of the student. But inputs have to be crosschecked by local authorities," Verma said.

"I met the girl in the government hospital. She is critical and was uttering 'please forgive me'. The commission will not spare anyone who tortured the girl," the chairperson said.

Meanwhile, the police in Bilaspur have maintained 'silence' over the whole incident.

"We are collecting details. We cannot say what happened exactly to Manisha. The seniors said she was reluctant to stay in hostel," a senior Bilaspur police official said over telephone.

The college management also set up a probe team and has been interrogating the seniors.

Manisha's family members, who belong to Rajnandgaon district in west Chhattisgarh, met the girl in the hospital Thursday. However, Manisha reportedly failed to recognise them.

Banking on the situation, opposition Congress has pulled up the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government for failing to curb ragging.

Said state unit Congress president, Charandas Mahant: "The state government was trying to cover up the issue and not allowing media persons and political parties to meet Manisha in hospital as it will unravel the truth."

--- IANS