[ToI] Student goes missing after ragging

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14 May, 2007 l 0107 hrs IST lTIMES NEWS NETWORK

SURI: Saroj Kumar Biswas, a first-year student of Ramakrishna Shilpa Vidyapith, a state-run polytechnic college, went missing on Friday night. His family members have alleged that Saroj fled from the hostel after being ragged by his seniors.

The family members and college authorities have lodged separate complaints with Suri police on Saturday night, nearly 24 hours after Saroj went missing.

In his complaint at the Suri police station, the victim's elder brother, Dipan, accused six third-year students - all hostel boarders - of being responsible for his brother's disappearance. Dipan has also named some first-year and second-year students who supported his claims.

"They used to torture him. He was threatened with dire consequences if he ever told anybody about the torture he had to endure. I'm a former student of this college and I know very well what goes on here. He had told me about the students who used to torture him. They started to torment him right since the day he joined for the first semester," said Dipan.

Pankaj, the other brother, who studies electrical engineering in the college, also claimed that Saroj was singed with cigarettes. Dipan's statement found support from some first and second-year students.

The boarders first noticed Saroj's absence on Friday night during dinner. The hostel monitor, Avijit Dey, a third-year student, informed the hostel superintendent that Saroj hadn't turned up for dinner. The authorities asked Pankaj about his brother's whereabouts. But he had no information.

The hostel authorities then called up Saroj's residence in Thakurnagar in North 24-Parganas. But even the family members could provide no information.

Suri police has started an investigation into Saroj's disappearance. However, they are surprised by the fact that it took the hostel authorities almost 24 hours to inform them. "The hostel authorities claimed that they were waiting to hear from the family," an officer said.

Satyasankar Panda, the SP of Birbhum said: "Our officers have started an investigation. We are considering all possibilities. We are not ruling out the allegations of ragging that forced Saroj to flee."