[Statesman] Fresher force-fed drugs as ragging ritual

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Statesman News Service

BISHNUPUR, May 24: A first year engineering student with a private engineering college here has allegedly been forced to consume narcotics like marijuana, brown sugar and hashish over the past four days.

The father of the student rushed to Bishnupur from New Barrackpore today to rescue him. He has lodged a complaint with the Bishnupur PS and also sought intervention from the local SDO here.

Mr Shyamalendu Roy, a businessman in New Barrackpore, received a distress call by the classmate of his son last night stating that senior students had confined Soumya Roy and had been compelling him to consume narcotics.

“I was confused and immediately contacted my son on his cellphone. I could understand that he was in an intoxicated state,” he said. “I tried to contact the authorities but unfortunately there was no one present to attend my call either at the office or the hostel.”

Soumya is a first year student of electronics engineering with the privately run Mallabhum Institute of Technology here. Soumya said: “A few of my seniors forced me to consume the narcotics though I tried to resist them. I took the matter to the hostel authorities to no avail.”
“They would enter my room after study hours every evening and take me away to a senior student’s room,” Soumya said. “I would then be forced to consume contraband narcotics. This continued for four consecutive days.”

Mr Roy lodged a complaint with the Bishnupur PS today and also took the matter to the SDO, Bishnupur, Mr Ajay Kumar Ghosh. Mr Ghosh has issued a notice to the engineering college authority asking them to provide an explanation at the earliest. “We shall go by the strictures prescribed by the Supreme Court of India to help preventing ragging in the colleges and other educational institutions,” he said.

The college authority initially expressed surprise to the charges. Mr SK Roy, principal of the college, said: “The student and his guardian has moved to the police and the administration and they didn’t inform us. We have got no specific idea about the charges. The college is expecting fresh students and the student who has allegedly been ragged is here since one year and is about to be promoted to second year now. It is quite unusual that such students are still being ragged by their seniors in the college.”

“I am surprised that the college authority remained quite indifferent despite bringing the matter into their notice,” Mr Roy said.

The IC, Bishnupur, Mr Bamapada Mukherjee, said: “Besides the charges of ragging, we are worried that the students’ charges has hinted trafficking of drugs in Bishnupur. We are investigating the case.”

No one has been arrested.