[ToI] Students clash over ragging

Link to report

Rahul Tripathi
[ 8 Apr, 2007 0229hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: The Jor Bagh Market witnessed a clash involving some students of the Vasant Kunj and Sohna branches of GD Goenka Public School on Friday evening. One group, allegedly carrying a pistol, fled the spot leaving the weapon behind, said the police.

The Lodhi Colony Police Station has registered a case under the Arms Act on the complaint of a Class XII student of Vasant Kunj branch, Mahesh Kumar (the names of all the students have been changed to protect their identities).

Kumar told police that his friend, Abhishek Verma, who was earlier a student at Vasant Kunj branch, had taken a transfer to the Sohna branch in Gurgaon where he was allegedly ragged by Class XII student Santosh Lall and others. Verma complained to Kumar, who said he would take care of the matter.

"After Kumar's intervention, Lall promised he won't rag Verma but Verma was again ragged by Lall and his friends the very next day," said a senior police officer.

Kumar called up Lall once again and the two decided to meet at the Jor Bagh market on Friday evening. "Lall, accompanied by three others, came to the spot near Lodhi Colony where Mahesh Kumar, along with three of his friends, was waiting for them," the officer added.

The meeting soon turned violent and the two groups hurled abuses at each other. According to the complaint filed by Kumar, one of the boys who accompanied Santosh Lall took out a .32 pistol.

"We got scared but the pistol fell from his hand and the four immediately fled from the spot," Kumar said in his complaint.

Later, he along with other friends went to Lodhi Colony police station where a case of Arms Act was registered. The police said so far no one has been arrested and they are verifying Kumar's version. The police have also contacted other students, including the one who was allegedly carrying the pistol.

Lall, however, told Times City that he was not present on the spot and Kumar and his friends had come with the pistol.

When contacted, a spokesperson of G D Goenka School, Major K Sharma, said none of the students involved in the clash were from the school.

However, the police said the complainant and the main accused are studying in the school. Despite repeated efforts, the principal of the school, Devti Chandran, was could not be reached for comment.