Student badly beaten during ragging

13 Feb 2009, 0312 hrs IST, TNN
AJMER: Senior students of Bhagwant University situated on Pushkar Road in Ajmer ragged a junior on the main road on Wednesday evening and beat him black andblue. Later they left him unconscious on the roadside. The seniors asked him to squat on the road and when he denied, they beat him with sticks and sharp weapons.

Meanwhile on Thursday the board committee of the university took statements of all the students involved in it and claimed to take strict action against the culprits. Prima-facie the committee found that the ragging was done by seniors because the junior was involved with one of their girlfriends. The police have arrested four accused and are searching other two. Police are investigating the ragging charges against them.

According to sources, first-year engineering student of B Tech (computer) at Bhagwant University, Anand Rai complained to Christianganj police station on Wednesday night that more than six senior students of his university -- Rahul Yadav, Sanjeev Yadav, Ritesh, Rajneesh, Deepak and Shiv Banu, Shiv Charan and Ramnath asked him to stop near Janana Hospital in the evening.

"They abused me and asked me to become a murga' on the road," said Anand in his complaint. Talking to TOI Anand said, "They threatened me to leave the university and not to be seen there again. They also threatened that all seniors would not allow me to enter the campus."

He accused that seniors beat him black and blue with hockey sticks and when he became unconscious they fled from the scene. "The local people found him lying unconscious on the road and they informed the ambulance. Anand was admitted to JLN hospital where he is currently under treatment," said police.

According to the police, "We found that the complainant, Anand is a first-year student of engineering and at present suspended from the university. He has to attend the classes from February 14. The accused, Ritesh is a second-year student and Rajneesh is a third-year student of the university. Sanjeev is an ex-student of AIT College affiliated to the university whereas Rahul Yadav was rusticated from the university three months ago."

The police registered a case under 151 of CRPC and investigated the ragging charges. Police have arrested Sanjeev Yadav, Ram Nath, Shiv Charan and one more and are searching for the other accused.

Meanwhile the management committee of the university on Thursday called an urgent meeting and took the statement of the students who were involved in it.

"The incident did not take place on the campus and the students who are involved in this are either suspended or rusticated," said the director of university, Basti Ram. He admitted that the incident is shocking and said that the victim, Anand was allegedly involved in fights, therefore, in only one semester he was suspended three times. On the other hand, the main accused, Rahul was rusticated three months ago because there were certain charges against him and action had been taken by the superintendent of police of Ajmer.

"There must be a personal reason for this fight, even though we are investigating the matter," said Basti Ram. He added, "We have decided to take strict action against them." The victim is from Haryana while all the accused belong to Uttar Pradesh.

Sources confirmed that this incident of ragging came during semester because the victim is involved with a girlfriend of one of the accused. According to the police, the students of engineering college who live in the hostel at Shastri Nagar are allegedly involved in the fights since last session. There are about 20 complaints against these students by the locals Shastri Nagar.