Tension in college after student alleges ragging

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 19: The situation on the Ekamra College campus was tense today after a fresher alleged ragging by his seniors.

Subhendu Sathpahy, a Plus II first year student of the city based Ekamra College, alleged that his seniors asked him to strip and assaulted him when he denied.

Sathpathy started coming to the college from August 16 as classes for the first year students began for the present academic session.

He said that he was trying to enter the Block C of the college building when a group of senior students of Plus III final year, who were sitting on the balcony, called him.

“He was scared and pretended as if he did not hear them. At these, the senior students started using slang language and asked him to come to them. They then asked him why his shoes were not polished,” said Santosh Panda, uncle of the victim Subhendu Sathpathy.

“Later they abused him asked him to strip. As he refused, they smeared cow dung on his uniform and physically assaulted him,” Panda alleged.

“We have submitted a written complaint to the college principal and are soon going to file an FIR at the Air Field police station,” he added.

Sathpathy received injuries in his stomach and other lower abdomen, and had to be rushed to nearby hospital.

“The college authorities are responsible for this. We need an explanation why the college authorities cannot ensure the protection of their own students. Especially in the present day situation, when ragging is considered a serious offence and has been banned, I wonder why do the college authorities fail to take any action,” said the victim’s uncle, as he rushed to the hospital receiving the news of his injuries.

“When I contacted the principal of the college on this issue, she kept repeating that it was not ragging and that it was the result of a clash for tensions related to election. It is not quite clear to me how can my son, who joined the college only four days ago, become a victim of college election,” asked Srikant Sathapathy, father of the victim, demanding immediate action against the offenders.

“The seniors have been ragging us frequently ever since we joined. We have given a written complaint to the principal of the college,” said Radha Mohan Nayak, another Plus II student.

“There was a disturbance between senior and junior students, but we have heard that they have compromised among themselves,” said Soumendra Tripathy, inspector-in-charge of the Air Field police station.

But Pranati Mishra, principal of the college refused to believe that any incident of ragging has taken place on the college premises. “There was nothing like ragging. It was a routine clash that happens during election,” she added