[NewIndPress] Jail term for ragging

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Friday June 13 2008 11:06 IST
Express News Service

T’PURAM: A youth was sentenced to six-and-a-half years imprisonment on Wednesday on charges of ragging his junior student at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital in 2001.

Shahid Mohammed, a native of Lakshadweep, who is now residing at Andaman, was sentenced by the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-5 judge G P Jayakrishnan.

Out of the six-and-a-half year imprisonment, the convict will have to under go five-and-a-half years rigorous imprisonment.

The incident pertaining to the case occurred in October 2001. The prosecution case was that Shahid had forcibly subjected a first-year student Neeraj Kumar Gupta of Chhattisgarh to unnatural sex.

The incident occurred near the college hostel. Shahid was dismissed from the college following the incident.

[NewIndPress] Ragging incidents: Rights panel to issue notice to Pushpagiri

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Thursday May 29 2008 11:32 IST

Express News Service

PATHANAMTHITTA: The State Human Rights Commission will issue notice to the Pushpagiri Medical College management on the issue of ragging incidents.

Commission member A Lakshmikuttiamma, at a sitting here on Wednesday, decided to issue notice on a complaint by Human Rights Protection Council secretary Samuel.

In his complaint, Samuel said the council received a complaint given by MBBS first year student John Abraham, Tharayil, Pachalam, Kochi, that he was subject to ragging by senior students in February.

He was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital on February 28 due to the severe ragging, Samuel said in his submission.

John Abraham complained that the college authorities had not initiated any steps against the senior students.

[NewNation] 9 PSTU students expelled from hall for ragging

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Our Correspondent, Barisal

Patuakhali Science and Technology University authority expelled nine students from the hall on Sunday for six months following torturing a newly admitted student in the name of ragging on Saturday night in room no. 206 of Keramat Ali Hall

Dr. Md. Golam Rabbani, provost of Keramat Ali Hall and Dr. Abu Haider, registrar of the university acknowledged the fact said that and academic steps were taken against them. Related sources said Rakib Al Faisol, Md. Shahadat Hossain, Md. Shahinoor Parvez, Md. Saiful Islam Faisol, Md.Salauddin,Md. Shamim Ahmed, Md. Pavel Howladar of second semester of agriculture faculty and Tousik Ahmed Tonmoy and S M Rahat of third semester of business administration faculties physically and mentally assaulted Md. Kamruzaman, a newly admitted BBA student at room-206-A of the hall in the name of ragging.

[ToI] JU's anti-ragging move for freshers

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10 Apr 2008, 0310 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: The executive council of Jadavpur University on Wednesday decided to crack down on ragging of freshers. All students taking admission as first year undergraduate boarders, will be allotted two hostels on the campus.

"This will enable us to check whether any untoward incident takes place with first year students on the campus," said executive council member Partha Pratim Biswas. The hostel block adjacent to Jadavpur police station will be reserved exclusively for students other than those in the first year, including postgraduate students.

The EC has also asked the teachers’ body to study the recommendations of the model guideline sent by the University Grants Commission regarding the appointment of teachers, who are more than 60 years old.

On Wednesday, the EC also passed the appointment to the post of a lecturer and a reader in the department of Physics.

A report was also placed before the EC regarding the molestation of a policeman’s daughter in front of Jadavpur police station by four students from the engineering and science faculty on March 31.

It will be discussed at the next meeting.

[Hindu] Two hauled up for ragging

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NEW DELHI: Two separate cases have been registered against two students of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped for allegedly ragging a freshman. The incident of ragging, which was captured by a first year student of the Institute on his mobile phone camera, was reported last week .

According to the police, a freshman was ragged by an intern, Santosh, on the night of November 17 and the incident was caught on camera by Anshul, a first year student. A complaint was subsequently lodged by the victim the next day.

On November 19, the victim informed the college authorities who in turn suspended the internship of Santosh and asked both the accused to vacate the hostel.

Sources said that on hearing a complaint has been lodged against him, Santosh allegedly threatened the freshman and warned him against reporting the incident.

A second FIR was lodged on November 21 against Santosh for intimidating the victim and forcing him to withdraw his complaint.

When the victim and his batchmates refused to withdraw the complaint, Santosh made a second attempt to threaten them.

[Hindu] Ragging at Cusat: one more arrested

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Police say total number of accused will come to 20

Eight persons identified in case

Six of the accused from Bihar

KOCHI: The Kalamassery police on Wednesday arrested one student from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on the charges of ragging.

The police said Bijin V.J., 20, of Sreekaryam, Thiruvananthapuram, was the ninth accused in the case and was arrested from the Cusat campus.

He was produced before the Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate – II and released on bail.

Bijin, a sixth semester student of Ship Technology, had made the arrangements for the hotel for the ‘Fresher’s Day’ celebrations, said the police. In all, 21 persons have been accused in the case.

“The students have, however, identified only eight persons, of which six are from Bihar. The other two are from Kozhikode and Palakkad,” said K. Sethuraman, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Thrikkakkara). Since the students were suspended from college, the police could not trace them. “Two teams have been sent to Palakkad and Kozhikode to arrest the accused,” he said.

However, officers at the Kalamassery police station say more students have been identified and the total number of accused in the case would come to nearly 20.
Police initiative

When the city police took up the initiative to curb ragging on campuses a couple of years ago, no major incidents were reported. Still, the police convened meetings of the heads of institutions to discuss about the campaign. This was followed up by a couple of awareness classes

During the meetings with heads of institutions, it was made clear that the police could, according to the Act, initiate proceedings against the head of the institution on the failure to take disciplinary action on receiving complaints of ragging.

The Act also gives the victim the option of approaching the City Police Commissioner directly and initiating action without the complainant’s identity being revealed. Despite this, the police find it hard to collect evidence. “Students are not coming forward against their seniors. We are now planning to run an awareness campaign,” said Mr. Sethuraman.

[IE] Panel to probe rising cases of ragging

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Lucknow, November 6 Taking note of several incidents of ragging recently, Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad Chairman Sukhram Singh Yadav today constituted a seven-member committee to look into the rising cases of harassment of students in technical institutes.

In his ruling, Yadav announced the setting up of a committee led by the technical education minister or his representative along with party leaders. The committee will have to submit its report in the next Assembly session.

The issue, which was raised through an adjournment notice in Zero Hour by the Rashtriya Lok Dal, saw members, including leader of the House Swami Prasad Maurya terming it as a curse on the educational system.

Members sought strict action not only against the guilty but also the proctor and warden of private colleges and hostel, who indulge in such acts.

Teachers Group leader Om Prakash Sharma called for setting up of a House panel, which would look into the matter by taking inputs from students, teachers and others to check ragging.

[NewIndPress] Five students arrested in connection with ragging

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THRISSUR: In connection with the alleged ragging of a junior engineering student, Christo, by the senior students of Vidya Academy of Science and Technology at Kurumal in the district, the police arrested 5 senior students of the college on Wednesday.

Vadakkancherry Circle Inspector said that the students, accompanied by their parents surrendered before him at the police station. He said that they were released on bail later.

[ToI] 21 students suspended for ragging juniors in Kochi

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KOCHI: Cracking the whip against ragging, the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) has suspended 21 senior students of the department of Ship Technology following complaints of the offence against them.

The suspended students are from the third semester and were staying at a hostel in Kochi.

CUSAT Registrar Dr A Ramachandran told reporters here that the students have been suspended, pending an inquiry. If a detailed probe finds them guilty, they would be expelled from the college, he said.

Police are also conducting investigations into the incident relating to ragging of the first semester students in September. The victim students had alleged they had been physiclly tortured and that some were forcibly made to consume liqour in a hotel.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by CUSAT officials has found that the junior students were physcially tortured by their seniors from September 4 to September 14.

Following the ragging incident, at least five students have dropped out of the course.

[IndiaInfo] Eight medical students suspended for ragging

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Monday, October 22, 2007 17:23 [IST]

Surat: Eight students of the Surat Medical College have been suspended for allegedly ragging their juniors, college authorities said today.

Around 16 first year MBBS students were allegedly ragged by their immediate seniors, college dean Shailendra Vajpayee said adding eight of them have suspended for a month in this regard.

They have also been asked to do "social work" for a week inside the college campus, he said. The parents of the suspended students will also be summoned and cautioned in this regard, Vajpayee said.

Source : PTI

[DeccanHerald] TN medical college suspends three for ragging junior

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Tiruchirapalli, UNI :

Dr K A P Viswanathan Government Medical College has suspended three third year MBBS students for allegedly ragging a junior student of the college a couple of days back.

Official sources said, based on a complaint from the affected student's father, who is working as a Professor in a private college here, the college administration conducted an enquiry over the incident and cornered three third year MBBS students residing in the college hostel for their involvment in the crime. The students admitted the crime.

Following this, the administration sent a detailed report to the Director of Medical Education (DME) Chennai and based on the direction from the DME, the students were suspended, the sources added. They, however, refused to divulge the names of the suspended students.

[IE] College suspends students in Greater Noida ragging case

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Greater Noida, October 12 The six students alleged to have stripped and burnt a first year student at the Apeejay Institute of Architecture and Planning were today suspended from the college. The students — Aditya, Aakash, Farhan, Naman, Prashant and Subur — had allegedly sprayed deodorant and burnt the private parts of Prashant Kumar Agrahi on October 4 in the college hostel.

B R Zaidi, Station House Officer of the Kasna Police Station said, “The boys are absconding and have left the college hostel. We have formed teams to trace them and they will be arrested soon.” The victim said he was earlier also beaten up, stripped, made to dance and later hung from the balcony of one of the higher floors. The decision to suspend was taken after the boy’s father Dhruv Prasad Agrahi approached the police on Thursday, police said.

Agrahi had approached a local television channel and got a complaint registered with the Kasna Police Station, where a case of rioting, criminal intimidation, willfully causing injury and illegal confinement was registered against the accused.

D Rajvanshi, chief of the anti-ragging cell, said, “Keeping in mind the serious nature of the crime, we decided to take such an action. It will also act as a deterrent for other students of the college.” Dhruv Prasad said, “It is important that no student is subjected to serious physical and mental torture in the name of ragging.”

The victim, who is in a state of shock, said, “I was too scared to approach the college authorities. They had threatened me with dire consequences.” He told the authorities and his father about the incident on Monday.

[ToI] 8 girls arrested on ragging charges

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BHOPAL: For the first time since universities and colleges were ordered by the Supreme Court to crack down on ragging, eight women students were arrested on Monday on charges of ragging juniors, two of whom had to be hospitalised.

Police arrested the eight students of the Institute of Hotel Management in Bhopal for ragging 17 first-years last Wednesday.

Two of the junior students had collapsed after being made to stand for hours while their seniors abused them and asked embarrassing questions.

Five of the eight accused are from Mumbai, one from New Delhi, one from Hyderabad and one from Bareilly. Police said the eight were arrested in the presence of their parents who were summoned by the institute authorities. They were, however, released on bail, police said.

The accused were identified as Kawaljeet Kaur Sethi, Upasana Goel, Neha Khanna, Dipti Mirke, Joseline Maria Pinto, Rohini Oberoi, Heena Ishaq Mohiddin and Shubhi Walia.

The students wouldn't get away without punishment because a day after the ragging took place police had registered a case under Sections 294 (obscenity), 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of IPC against them.

[IE] JU ragging: Student unions divided

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Kolkata, October 05 Jadavpur University (JU) remained on tenterhooks today with students’ unions protesting against the ragging incident, in which five students were punished.

Though classes were not interrupted, tension prevailed on the campus throughout the day.

Representatives of Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU) on Friday resigned from their respective posts. “As students’ representative, we cannot support ragging. We have, therefore, decided to step down,” said one of the representatives.

On the other hand, SFI representatives protested the FETSU’s stand on its decision to reprimand students for ragging.

Uttio Basu, SFI local committee secretary, said that since all the accused students are affiliated to the FETSU, it is putting pressure on JU authorities to let off their members.

Five students in the engineering department were punished for ragging a junior on Wednesday. Two of the accused — Chittaranjan Burma and Milton Baidya of the civil and mechanical engineering departments respectively — were suspended for the coming semester scheduled to begin from January 2008.

Kaji Imam Alam of the chemical engineering department and electronic engineering student Nilanjan Biswas were suspended from the hostel for a year.

The executive council, the university’s highest policy-making body, decided to punish the boys on the basis of a recommendation of the institution’s anti-ragging committee. A first-year student had lodged a complaint with the authorities in the third week of August, alleging that he had been subjected to ragging.

The complaint was forwarded to the anti-ragging committee, which held a month-long inquiry and found the five students guilty.

The FETSU members gheraoed the executive committee members when they were about to decide the penalty for the accused students. The students said that they were protesting against the exam regulations and the publication of the results of the supplementary examinations demanding them to be declared on time.

Rajat Bandopadhyay, Registrar of Jadavpur University, however, claimed that the punishment was nothing severe.

“We took the decision as it might act as a deterrent and the students will not repeat such actions in future,” added Bandopadhyay.

Following a Supreme Court order banning ragging in all educational institutions, the University Grants Commission had made it compulsory for all universities to set up panels to check ragging and bring offenders to book.

Bandopadhyay added that the university is deciding on having a separate hostel for each year.

“The students of all years will be separated and kept in different hostels. Their is a certain possibility of such decision in near future and we will take up the matter in executive committee meeting,” he said.

[Telegraph] Burning ‘game’ at Stephen’s

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Calcutta boy set on fire during suspected ragging session

CHARU SUDAN KASTURI
St Stephen’s College

New Delhi, Oct. 3: A Calcutta boy studying at Delhi’s St Stephen’s College has complained to college authorities that he was set on fire during a ragging session.

College authorities have confirmed the episode, which occurred on the night of September 27, but said it was an “accident” and not a case of ragging.

The former student of St Xavier’s School, Calcutta, suffered burns on his hands and knees after seniors sprayed him with deodorant and threw a burning match at him.

A first-year Chemistry Honours student, the boy is now back with his family in Calcutta, the college authorities have told The Telegraph.

The victim reluctantly confirmed the incident, and the burns to his knees and hand, but said he did not wish to pursue the matter further. “Whatever punishment has been handed out to them is more than enough,” he said, speaking from Calcutta. The boy also felt that the match was not thrown with intent to harm him.

Four second-year students who attacked the boy have been penalised, the college authorities said.

“Three of them, who were drunk, have been punished more severely than the fourth,” a senior college official said. The three have been suspended for one year from the hostel, and for a month from classes.

The fourth, who the college authorities say was sober, has been suspended for one month from classes and the hostel — called the “Residence” in St Stephen’s lingo.

St Stephen’s authorities, however, did not agree that the incident is a case of ragging and said it was a “game”.

“Students often play a game... spraying deodorant on their hands, and setting a match to it. It burns at a low temperature, and so does not hurt the skin. They were indulging in the same game,” an administrator said.

The college admits, however, that the victim and his friends did not see the incident as a “game”.

According to the college authorities, a group of the victim’s friends, led by a second-year student, “attacked” the four boys who set him on fire, “dragged them” and “beat them up”.

The second-year student who led the retaliation has also been suspended for one month from classes and hostel.

Under Supreme Court guidelines, put in place by a committee headed by former CBI chief R.K. Raghavan, college authorities who receive a complaint of ragging from a student should “immediately” register a case with police.

“It is recommended that the college authorities should first file a case, and then continue their internal investigation,” Rajendra Prasad, one of the members of the Raghavan committee, said.

If the victim or his parents are not satisfied with the action — or the lack of it — that the college authorities have taken, they can file a second complaint with the college, following which the institute authorities have to go to the police, Prasad explained.

“The victim or his parents can also approach the police directly if the college ignores the second plea. Then the college is also accountable,” Prasad added.

[Telegraph] Ragging stick for five sparks furore in JU

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Calcutta, Oct. 3: Jadavpur University erupted in rage this evening after authorities decided to punish five students for ragging a junior.

An army of students from the engineering and science faculties staged demonstrations and gheraoed officials for several hours in protest against the decision of the executive council.

“Our friends have been falsely implicated…. We haven’t heard of any complaint of ragging. Our question is how could the authorities take a decision like this when there are doubts over the complaint?” asked Surajit Bhakta, a leader of the engineering and technology students’ union.

Two of the accused — Chittaranjan Burma and Milton Baidya of the civil and mechanical engineering departments, respectively — have been suspended for the coming semester scheduled to begin from January 2008. They will not be able to attend classes or appear in the semester examination. The duo have been rusticated from the hostel along with co-accused Srimanta Kumar Khanra of the mathematics department.

Kaji Imam Alam of the chemical engineering department and electronic engineering student Nilanjan Biswas have been suspended from the hostel for a year.

The executive council, the university’s highest policy-making body, decided to punish the boys on the basis of a recommendation of the institution’s anti-ragging committee. A first-year student had lodged a complaint with the authorities in the third week of August, alleging that he had been subjected to ragging.

The complaint was forwarded to the anti-ragging committee, which held a month-long inquiry and found the five students guilty.

It suggested three categories of punishment for the boys, depending on the gravity of their offence.

Following a Supreme Court order banning ragging in all educational institutions, the University Grants Commission had made it compulsory for all universities to set up panels to check ragging and bring offenders to book.

“The anti-ragging committee has thoroughly probed the complaint and suggested penal measures against the five boys. After examining the committee’s findings, the executive council has unanimously accepted its suggestions,” said Parthapratim Biswas, a member of the council.

After news of the punishments reached the university’s hostels and classrooms around 5pm, students gathered outside the conference hall where a council meeting was on. They demanded that the authorities withdraw their decision.

The meeting ended around 7, but the protesters did not allow the members to leave the hall till late at night.

“The anti-ragging committee did not conduct the inquiry in a democratic manner. We don’t believe the five students are guilty. We will continue our agitation till the authorities withdraw the suspension orders,” said Bhakta.

[SaharaSamay] Nine students suspended for ragging

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03 October 2007 08:10 IST

Jabalpur (MP), Oct 3: Nine students of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College here were suspended today for 15 days on the charge of ragging, a college official said.

The students, studying in MBBS first year and residing in hostel, were accused of ragging day scholars within the campus, College Dean K.D. Baghel told reporters.

The College Council decided to suspend them for 15 days after receiving complaints from the victims, he said, adding a case of ragging was also registered against them at Garha police station.

[NewIndPress] Mar Ivanios expels 7 students

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Tuesday September 25 2007 04:56 IST

Express News Service

T'PURAM: Seven students, including four boys and three girls, have been expelled from the Mar Ivanios College in the city after they were found guilty of ragging a first-year degree girl student.

Dixon A, Sunil S, Visakh V K, Pramod Augustine, Nissy R, Rakhi Mohan and Shabna S, all final-year degree students, were expelled from the college.

A commission of inquiry, appointed by the college to probe into the incident that took place on August 8, had found all the seven students guilty of ragging that even continued outside the college campus. On the basis of the inquiry report, the College Council recommended expulsion of the seven students, a statement from the College Principal said here on Monday.

The Peroorkada Police, which had registered a case in this connection, have almost completed the probe. Charges, including rioting and ragging, would be framed against the accused, police sources said. The victim of the incident was a first-year BA Literature student of the college who hails from Panavila. She was ragged by the gang of seven students. As the level of ragging went beyond tolerable limits, the girl refused to concede to the commands of the gang.

Later, while she was riding home on her two-wheeler, four boys of the ‘ragging gang’ chased her in motor bikes and irritated her. As the degree of teasing escalated, the girl lost control of her vehicle and fell on the road near Paruthippara.

Local people who witnessed the incident gathered on the spot and intercepted the boys. They were later handed over to the Peroorkada Police. The three girls later surrendered before the police. All the seven were immediately suspended from the college.

The commission found that the accused had caused mental and physical agony to the girl student by their rash behaviour. The incident had also brought infamy to the college, the commission observed.

[ToI] Police file FIR in hostel ragging case

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17 Sep 2007, 0406 hrs IST,TNN

LUCKNOW: A named FIR was registered against five persons in the ragging of MCA student Sanjay Pal Singh. Three of the accused lived in the private hostel, Anand Villa, while two are outsiders. Sanjay had gone into a state of acute psychosis after being ragged. He is undergoing treatment in CSMMU.

The hostel authorities have claimed that Sanjay suffered from some psychiatric problems even before joining the hostel. However, his relatives have refuted this claim.

Sanjay's father, Ajay Pal Singh lodged an FIR with the Madiaon police station on Sunday that his son was ragged by inmates of Anand Villa Hostel located in the area. Ajay has named RS Tripathi, Vikas Gupta, Pravin Chaudhary and other unidentified inmates of the hostel as the accused. Two outsiders - Naaus and Mama - were also a party to the crime. They have been accused of mental and physical torture. Naaus and Mama threatened Sanjay with dire consequences. The FIR also states that though the warden was informed about the incident no action was taken.

Sanjay's family finally shifted him to the house of his local guardian. However, on Saturday, when Sanjay was going in a city bus to attend his classes, the five accused stopped the bus. They threatened and abused him after which Sanjay left his bag in the bus and ran for his life. He has been behaving like a deranged person ever since. Sanjay was admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Medical University's (CSMMU) psychiatry ward on Saturday.

Sanjay has been in a delirious state and has been shouting names of the students who ragged him and saying they will kill him. "He has been kept under heavy sedation, so we have not been able to take his version. We have been told that Sanjay has a history of psychiatric problems. But investigations are on," said SP (TG), Umesh Kumar Singh.

The warden of Anand Villa Hostel, Gyan Prakash Srivastava said, "Sanjay was a bit eccentric. He used to keep awake the entire night. He was suspicious of others and whenever he saw two people talking, he used to think they were talking about him." He added that Sanjay was given a room of his choice but he started having problems with other students.

Refuting the charges that Sanjay had psychiatric problems, Sanjay's local guardian Sudhakar Singh told TOI, "Sanjay had joined the hostel only 15 days back. How did the hostel authorities come to know that he was mentally sick? You can go to his village- Dhanautia in Bareilly district- and find out. Everybody knows he had no such ailment." Sudhakar pleaded that such a serious case of ragging should not be made frivolous by such accusations. "Sanjay was saved on time else he could have run away from home or committed suicide," he said.

[Hindu] 15 MBBS students expelled for ragging

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Kanpur: Fifteen second year MBBS students have been expelled from a medical college hostel here after a disciplinary committee indicted them in an incident of ragging in August.

The administration has expelled them on the charge of “misbehaving with first year students on the pretext of getting to know them,” Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College principal Professor S K Katiyar said on Wednesday.

He said the incident was brought to his notice in August and handed over to the disciplinary committee of the college which found them guilty of misbehaviour.

All the expelled students were residing in Hostel No 5, he said adding that the college had already suspended four students on charge of ragging in August. -- PTI