[Yahoo] Ragging: HC asks principal to be responsible for security of students

Link to report

By IE
Saturday September 8, 03:37 AM

The Calcutta High Court today asked the principal of an engineering college to ensure the safety and security of a student, who had been ragged by his seniors.

Justice Biswanath Somadder directed the principal of Mallabhum Engineering College, Bishnupur, to take responsibility for the security of Soumya Roy, a first-year student of electronics and communication at the college.

Soumya had filed a petition in the High Court after being ragged and beaten up by his seniors. He had refused to take drugs, which the seniors had demanded.

In his plea, the student had asked the court to direct the institute to transfer him to another engineering college. He had also alleged that he was not safe in this college.

After the incident, his father had lodged a complaint in Bishnupur police station against Prantik Chatterjee, Biplab Mallick and Bhargab Das, senior students of that institution. Police had arrested the three and the ACJM, Bishnupur had refused to grant bail to them on two occasions. They were later released on bail following an order by the Calcutta High Court.

The college authorities had set up a committee to probe the incident. But the committee, in a report, had stated that Soumya was not ragged. Interestingly, while hearing the bail plea, the ACJM, Bishnupur, had observed that the committee was an eyewash and had been set up only to conceal the truth.