Another ragging skeleton tumbles out of Himachal cupboard

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/another-ragging-skeleton-tumbles-out-of-himachal-cupboard/article4247357.ece

 With memories of Aman Kachroo ragging case still fresh in mind, a new case of harassment of a 16-year-old student by his seniors at Sundernagar Polytechnic College has now come to light. The boy, a first year student of automobile engineering in Government Polytechnic College of Sundernagar in Mandi, has been referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and State Hospital in Shimla with serious injuries and burn marks inflicted by cigarette butts.

The student is under trauma and hardly speaks to anyone, said his parents who traced him somewhere in Punjab when the boy walked out of the private PG (paying guest) accommodation after the torture by the seniors. Two students, who were immediately suspended by the College authorities, were produced in a Juvenile Court on Thursday. They were granted bail and sent for counselling.

 The victim’s parents, who demanded severe punishment for the culprits, disclosed that their son had been depressed for some time and was not responding normally to their phone calls. With remorse they said that they could not gauge the behavioural change in their son, or else they would have brought him home earlier. He was threatened by the culprits not to disclose anything to his parents or teachers, they said.

 They alleged that their son, feeling humiliated and hurt, was told to arrange for drugs by the other inmates of the PG and the same treatment must have been meted out by other juniors in the college. The victim has received injuries on legs, arms, face and private parts.

We have recovered his blood-stained clothes from his PG, they said. The State has implemented strict anti-ragging laws after the Aman Satya Kachroo case. The first year student of Rajendra Prasad Tanda Medical College in Kangra had died on March 8, 2009 when he was brutally beaten up by four of his drunken seniors. A trial court had convicted all the four accused in November 2010 and had sentenced them to four years of rigorous imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

 However, according to sources, ragging menace still continues in private and government professional colleges and even boarding schools in the hill State. But a majority of them go unreported.

Accused of ragging, four NIFT students suspended

SHIMLA: Four students of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Chheb in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh have been suspended for a year after they were found guilty of ragging 20 students of first year course two months back. The action followed after NIFT headquarters in Delhi decided to act tough against the accused students.

The college administration had already expelled one senior student in the case. NIFT at Kangra, second in north India after NIFT, New Delhi, was opened in August 2009. The ragging incident was the first such case in its two years of functioning. The incident had sent alarm bells ringing as Aman Kachroo ragging death case at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda is still fresh in people's mind.

A disciplinary committee was constituted to enquire the incident after junior students lodged a complaint with anti-ragging committee of the institution against five senior students, alleging ragging of juniors on October 6 and 7 in the hostel. Authorities had, however, maintained that ragging took place when the juniors were going out.

Confirming the development, NIFT Kangra director Dinesh Rangra said that students were already under suspension but now they have been suspended for a year.

"After the probe, the committee found the four students guilty, on which we recommended punishment to our headquarters," he said. tnn

One student expelled, 4 suspended over ragging incident in NIFT, Kangra

DHARAMSALA: Junior students of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Chheb in Kangra were reportedly ragged inside the campus last Friday by senior students. Four final year students, involved in the incident, have been suspended, while one was expelled, after the matter was reported to the authorities.

Confirming the suspension of five students, officiating registrar, NIFT, Pankaj Rastogi said that five students were found guilty of ragging, who were suspended temporarily from the institution. "We have also referred the matter to our New Delhi head office and have recommended stern action against the students involved," Rastogi said.

A disciplinary committee was constituted to enquire into the incident of ragging after junior students lodged a complaint with anti-ragging committee of the institution against five senior students, charging them with ragging the juniors on October 6 and 7 in the hostel, he said.

Maintaining that the management has taken the matter seriously, Rastogi said the accused students have been barred from entering the classes while one student has been expelled from hostel immediately after the committee submitted its report.

"The management is very serious about the ragging incident and has taken action against the culprits as per NIFT guidelines. The accused behaved rudely with junior students, though nothing harsh happened. The institute is committed to stop such incidents, hence the action against accused," he added.

NIFT at Kangra, second in north India after NIFT, New Delhi, was opened in August 2009. The ragging incident is the first such case in its two years of functioning.

However, this is the second incident of ragging in educational institutions of Kangra district within a week. Recently five students of a private university at Palampur were arrested for ragging their juniors.

5 students arrested for ragging at Palampur

Dharamshala: Five students of Sri Sai University were booked under the HP Educational Institutional Prohibition Ragging Act 2009 on the complaint of Arun Katoch a BBA student of the University and resident of Bhuhana yesterday, police said here today.
D.S.Thakur, SSP kangra told HimVani that Arun Katoch resident of Kosab (Bhuhana) a BBA student of the Sai University at Palampur had lodged a report with Police that he was allegedly ragged by five students of B.Tech of the same university.
SSP Kangra said that Rocky, resident of Mumta, Gourav resident of Ghuggar, Abhishek resident of Bindravan, Anchal Thakur resident of Bhatti (Bhawarana) and Shanti Bhushan were arrested under section 147, 149, 323, 506 and Section 3 of HP Educational Institutional Prohibition Ragging Act 2009 and were produced before the court of JMIC Palampur today and were remanded to police custody for two days.
They are to be produced before the court on October 13, 2011.

Three students held for ragging in Himachal

Three students of an engineering college in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh were arrested Thursday for ragging, police said.
Avinash Chaudhary, Ankush Kumar and Abhinav Thakur, all students of National Institute of Technology, ragged eight students of the first year, Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Sharma told IANS.
"The case was registered Wednesday evening on the complaint of the institute's registrar," he added.
The hill state was in news last year when a Dharamsala court held four senior medical students guilty and sentenced them to four years' rigorous imprisonment in the Aman Kachru ragging-to-death case.
Aman, 19, who was in the Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital in Tanda in Kangra district since 2007, died March 8, 2009, after he was ragged by the four drunk seniors.

18 Students Suspended for Ragging at HP Varsity

Terming as "ragging" a violent clash that left at least 12 students of a particular community injured, the Baru Sahib Eternal University in Sirmaur has suspended 18 hostellers in this connection.

Some employees of the university had allegedly attacked a section of students belonging to a particular community on the intervening night of Oct 14-15, injuring over 12 of them, the students had alleged.

The incident evoked sharp reaction with the Congress and CPI(M) demanding derecognition of the varsity.

The management last evening suspended 18 students who also had been asked to vacate the hostels, an official said today.

A showcause notice has been served on them, seeking an explanation by October 26 about their conduct, the official said.

Police said none of the victims, however, mentioned about ragging in their statements.

The students alleged that it was a ploy to divert the attention from violence perpetrated by the management.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Ishwar Dass Dhiman dubbed as "politically motivated" the statement of HPCC president Kaul Singh Thakur blaming the government for violence.

He said immediately after the incident, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal directed the Deputy Commissioner to inquire into the matter.

The Himachal Pradesh government today served a show-cause notice on the university in connection with the incident.

"We have issued a showcause notice to the Vice Chancellor of the varsity and action, as deemed fit, will be taken as per statutory provisions of Eternal university (establishment and regulation) Act, 2008" Director, Higher Education, O P Sharma said.

Seniors assault class VIII student

TNN, Sep 24, 2010, 04.19am IST

DHARAMSALA: The ongoing trial in the Aman Kachru ragging case in the fast track court at Dharamsala hardly had any impact on students of a government school in Kangra district who assaulted a class VIII student when he refused to carry out their orders.

A case of ragging was registered against three students on Wednesday pertaining to the incident at government senior secondary school, Paprolain Baijnath sub-division of Kangra district.

The three accused allegedly beat a junior, Ankush Kumar, after he refused to leave the classroom when they ordered him. Following this, parents of the victim took up the matter with school authorities and principal Suman Katwal lodged the complaint with police.

Two more Himachal students arrested for ragging

2010-08-11 19:40:00

Two more students were arrested Wednesday on charges of ragging their juniors in a private professional university in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, police said.

Four students of Manav Bharti University near Kumarhatti - Hirdesh Sharma, Chetan, Parshant Kashyap and Madan Lal - were booked Tuesday for bullying and manhandling nearly 30 students of the university.

Chetan was arrested immediately after the incident.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Ramesh Pathania told IANS that police were on the lookout for Hirdesh, the fourth accused.

He said a youth who accompanied the accused at the time of the crime was also arrested.

The scuffle allegedly took place outside the university campus as the students were staying in a rented accommodation.

University Director S.P. Bhardwaj said all the accused have been suspended and barred from appearing in any university exams.

After the death of Aman Kachru, a first year student who was allegedly ragged to death by four senior students of the Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda near Kangra town last year, the state government has made ragging a cognisable, non-bailable offence compoundable with the permission of the court.

Any student convicted of the offence will be punished with imprisonment up to three years or fine of up to Rs.50,000 or both.

The offender will be expelled from the institution and will not be eligible for admission in any other institution for a period of three years.

Ragging incident in HP college

Dharamsala (HP), Sep 8 (PTI) In the first case of ragging after a law has come into force to check the menace, police have booked an MA student of government degree college here for committing the crime.

An FIR has been registered against the first year student -- Manoj Thakur -- on the basis of recommendation of the college, a police official said today.

This is the first case of ragging in the hill state after enactment of an Anti-ragging Act having stringent provisions like three-year jail or fine of Rs 50,000 or both.

Police are conducting raids to arrest the student, who is absconding, he said.

A first year BCom student -- Chandan -- had lodged a complaint on September 2 to the college authorities stating he was ragged by Thakur.

17 students in Himahcal fined for not reporting ragging

Posted by Ravinder Makhaik on Sep 6th, 2009 in News.

Shimla: Getting tough to contain ragging, Agriculture University, Palampur not only fined and expelled two of the perpetrators but also fined the victims of ragging as well as those who were witness to it for maintaining a silence on the incident.

Armed with The Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Bill 2009 that the state expressly enacted following the murder of Aman Kacharoo by ragging in Tanda Medical College, Kangra, institution administrators and education authorities have become vigilant towards the menace and are making efforts to stamp it out.

Palampur Agriculture University expelled two MSc first year students for the 2008-09 academic year after they were indicted by an inquiry set up by the management committee over a ragging incident, a government spokesman stated. A fine of Rs 25,000 was also imposed. The case was brought to the notice of the vice-chancellor in November, 2008, who had ordered the inquiry.

Going beyond punishing the perpetrators by taking recourse to Raghvan Committee recommendations on ragging – ‘those who do not report even when being witnesses or victims, should also be punished suitably’ – the university also punished three other BSc Agriculture (Hons) students, who the inquiry established though were victims of the same ragging incident but had not reported it to the authorities. All 3 were put on a years’ probation and fined Rs 5,000 each, the spokesman said.

Four students, who were members of the university anti-ragging committed were fined for Rs 3,500 each for suppressing information and another 10 students, who were present at the time of ragging but chose to remain silent, were fined Rs 2,500 each for suppressing information and not reporting the incident.

Measure like running a sensitization program for students and their parents about ragging being a cognizable, non-bailable, non-compoundable offence with grave consequences to a students future and setting up anti-ragging committees at college and hostel levels is contributing towards preventing ragging, said a agriculture university spokesman. Ragging will not be tolerated is the clear message, he added.

The stringent anti-ragging 2009 bill, which the Himachal assembly adopted in August, has made provisions for punishment and fine, which may extend up to three years imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 50,000 for any student found guilty of ragging. One indicted over ragging would stand expelled for a period of three years and would become ineligible for admission to any other institution.

Culpability of institution heads, if established, in not taking action against culprits could land one with a two year jail term and also be liable for a Rs 25,000 fine.

Ragging in Kandaghat polytechnic , Four accused girls suspended

August 2nd, 2009

Government Polytechnic for Women, Kandaghat in Solan district, 35 kilometres from here, has come under the scanner with a First Year (Electronics) student, Girija Sharma, filing a case of ragging against four students of the polytechnic.

The ragging victim in a written complaint addressed to the polytechnic Principal alleged that second year students Jyotsna , Aastha, Monika and Sarita not only misbehaved with her but she was also ragged in the name of introduction.

The polytechnic principal Vineeta Arya on Saturday called anti ragging committee meeting which found the four students guilty of ragging and decided to suspend them from classes for a week.

"One ragging accused student lives in Polytechnic hostel and three live in a rented accommodation. All have been suspended from classes for a week," Vineeta Arya, Principal, Government Polytechnic for Women said.

The polytechnic administration notwithstanding the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Bill, 2009 notification has neither filed a complaint against the accused girls in the police station nor have they been expelled from the institution. The government owned polytechnic administration has tried to hush up the case by giving minor punishment to the ragging accused students.

The anti ragging law clearly states that “Any student convicted of an offence under this law shall be expelled from the educational institution and shall not be eligible for admission in any other educational institution for a period of three years from the date of such expulsion. Such offenders will be punished with imprisonment of up to three years, or fine of up to Rs 50,000, or both".

When asked , Government Polytechnic for Women principal said that action has been taken as per the law and there is no need to expel the girls from the polytechnic.

" We have taken action as per the law. You can clarify it from our Director ," Vineeta Arya said.

Bilaspur College student files ragging case

August 1st, 2009

Shimla : The government college Bilaspur , 76 kms from here has come under the scanner with a second year BA student , Ravikant , filing a case of ragging against five students of the college.

The ragging victim in a written complaint addressed to the college Principal and police has alleged that Pankaj, vijay Kaushal, Nishant , Sunny and Vijay ( all college students of BA Final students) and Ravinder, Mahender and Dimple ( outsiders) not only beat him up but also asked unwanted questions. They tore away his shirt and threatened to kill him by throwing into the lake.

This is the second case of ragging which has come to light in the college during last fortnight. Earlier Surya , a B.A. first year student had filed a ragging complaint at police station. The case is in the court now.

"We have received a ragging complaint. The anti ragging committee will probe the case and action will be taken against the students if found guilty," S.P.Gupta , Principal , Government Degree College, Bilaspur said.

Another incident of ragging in HP, FIR registered

PTI 15 July 2009, 02:13pm IST

BILASPUR (HIMACHAL PRADESH): A case of ragging came into light in Himachal Pradesh, after a first year student of a government college at Bilaspur alleged that he was ragged by some seniors of the college. A written complaint of ragging was given by Surya Chandel, first year student of Post Graduate College Bilaspur, on Monday, officiating Principal of the college Ashok Awasthi said.

He said the complaint letter was also forwarded to the district police for necessary action. An FIR has been registered with Bilaspur Sadar police station on Tuesday on the basis of complaint letter forwarded by the college and investigation is on, Superintendent of Police Bilaspur Kuldeep Singh said.

The SP said that the case has been registered under relevant sections of the anti-ragging ordnance brought by the state government in the wake of death of Aman Kachroo due to ragging in Dr Rajendra Prasad government Medical College Tanda in Kangra district in March.

The student in his complaint alleged that on Friday last some seniors along with few outsiders fired some unpleasant questions on him and when he resisted they slapped him.

Awasthi said that college administration has forwarded the matter to the college anti-ragging committee to ascertain the facts. Based on the report of the committee appropriate steps would be initiated by the college against the guilty, the officiating Principal added.

Student found dead in school bathroom, family alleges ragging

22 Jun 2009, 2223 hrs IST, PTI

NAHAN (HP): The body of a 10th standard student from Punjab was found in the bathroom of a residential school here and his family alleged he could have been a victim of ragging. According to a case registered at Pachhad police station under Rajgarh sub-division, the student Karm Singh, a resident of Kharar in Punjab, was found dead in the bathroom of the Badu Saheb Akal Academy School hostel on Sunday.

The academy authority believing that it was a case of suicide did not inform the police about the incident and took the body to his family in Kharar on Sunday, police said. The family members noticed bruises suspectedly caused by a sharp object on the body of Karm Singh and suspected foul play which according to them might be linked to ragging.

The family members raised a hue and cry after which the matter went to the police which registered a case today. Members of Pachhad police station had gone to Chandigarh for the post-mortem of the boy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rajgarh, Virendra Kalia said.

He said the police are investigating the case from all angles. Kalia said the post-mortem report of the student would be available on Tuesday after which charges under relevant laws would be pressed.

The authorities of the Academy affiliated to Deemed Eternal University, which also runs professional courses, refused to talk to the media despite repeated attempts.

Himachal Pradesh Medical College Student Suspended for Ragging

May 20, 2009: Another case of ragging has come to light in Himachal Pradesh where a medical college student was allegedly beaten by a senior for not saluting him.

Ashish Sharma, first year student of Solan Homeopathy College, was allegedly beaten with a rod by his final year senior Yogesh Sahdev for not saluting him.

On May 17, Yogesh got angry with Ashish after the junior did not salute him and later bruised the victim along with his relatives.

A police case has been filed against Yogesh in connection. The college administration has also taken action against the senior student and suspended him for a month.

If found guilty, appropriate measures would be taken against Yogesh as per the Supreme Court directives in this regard, principal of the college said.

Earlier a ragging incident was reported from Rajendra Prasad medical college in state's Kangra district in March this year, in which Aman Kachroo, a first year student, lost his life after being beaten by seniors.

Students of Bishop Cotton School allege bullying by seniors

May 20th, 2009
SHIMLA - Two students of the prestigious Bishop Cotton School here have alleged that they were being regularly bullied by their seniors. One of the students was injured after seniors allegedly beat Class 9 students Monday, the family of the victim said Wednesday.
Surjit Singh, father of the victim, said: ‘My son, who got admission in the school three months back, was (being) regularly bullied and assaulted by his seniors in the hostel. On Monday he was again beaten up by his seniors.’
Avtar Singh suffered injuries in the intestines after he was allegedly assaulted by his seniors.
‘We came to know about the incident in the morning (Tuesday). We reached the school in the evening and lodged a complaint with the principal. But he showed ignorance about the incident,’ Surjit Singh told IANS by phone from Jalandhar in Punjab.
‘In the evening we got our son examined at Shimla’s Indira Gandhi Medical College and took him home. This morning he was admitted to the civil hospital at Sultanpur Lodhi near Jalandhar,’ he said.
Another student of the same class Akashdeep Singh Turna has also alleged excesses by seniors.
Akashdeep’s father Kuldeep Singh Turna, a British citizen of Indian origin, told IANS by phone that his son was facing mental and physical torture for the past many months.
‘During the winter vacation (December-February), Akashdeep visited Britain. At that time he was so terrified that he told us that he wouldn’t return to the school. I visited India and met the principal. On the latter’s assurance, we decided to continue with his studies there. Unfortunately, such incidents didn’t end here. Now we have asked our son to leave the school and stay with his guardians,’ he said.
Turna said he has already informed the British High Commission in New Delhi about the incident.
‘This morning I have informed the high commission and asked them to inquire into the matter. Next week I am coming to India to meet the principal,’ he said.
The school headmaster Roy Christopher Robinson, however, said that it was a case of a scuffle between two groups of students.
‘A scuffle occurred on Monday night among students following which a disciplinary committee was constituted.’
‘Indiscipline would not be tolerated on the school campus. Action would be initiated against the guilty,’ he added.
The incident comes less than a fortnight after a clash among some students of another prestigious Lawrence School at Sanawar left 11 children injured, forcing the school authorities to expel seven class 12 students.
Bishop Cotton, one of Asia’s oldest boarding schools, was established in 1859. It will celebrate its 150th anniversary in July. It boasts of alumni like constitutional expert Fali S. Nariman, writer Ruskin Bond, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

Student suspended after alleged ragging

Solan (HP), May 20 A senior student of a private homeopathic college has been suspended for a month on charges of alleged ragging, college authorities said here today. The institute&aposs anti ragging committee is also looking into the matter.

The student, Yogesh Singh, a fourth year student, was awarded the punishment after his junior Ashish, a first year student, complained to the college principal that he was being ragged by his senior, they said. According to the complaint, Yogesh"harassed and even slapped" Ashish for not greeting seniors on two occasions when they had met outside college premises, college authorities said.
Police, however, say that the college administration has strongly denied the incident to be linked with ragging and say it was the outcome of a"fight"between students.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Parwanoo, Ramesh Pathania, told PTI today that it was not a case of ragging but a"fight".
The college administration says that Yogesh informed his family about the fight and on hearing about it his father and a few other family members visited the college yesterday and beat up two other students when they did not find Ashish, police said.

7 Sanawar students sent home for ragging

2 May 2009, 0206 hrs IST, Jagdish Bhatt, TNN

SHIMLA: From college campuses, ragging appears to be trickling down to high schools now. Sanawar-based Lawrence School sent home seven Class XII

students who were suspected to have been ragging juniors in the residential public school.

Headmaster Praveen Vashisht did not call it `rustication' but made it clear that the students, whom he charged with manhandling some juniors, would not be allowed back. ``I will not tolerate violence by students
, or for that matter, teachers, in any form as long as I am the headmaster,'' Vashisht told TOI on Friday.

He had, moments earlier, turned down the request of parents of the affected children to allow them back, saying the matter would be decided by the school board.

Vashisht refused to elaborate on the form of violence meted out to the juniors and would not refer to the incident as ragging but sources said the seven students had, indeed, ragged some boys of Class XI on Monday night. The seven students were from families in Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab, they said.

When the matter reached the headmaster, he set up a two-member committee of senior staff to probe the incident and report within 24 hours. The issue was later referred to a three-member disciplinary committee, which decided that such incidents should not be tolerated in the school in view of the increasing cases of violent ragging, like the one in Himachal's Tanda medical college which left fresher Amann Kachroo dead. Once the decision was made, all seven students were escorted home by teachers on Wednesday night.

HP students charged with murder for ragging death

11 Mar 2009, 0143 hrs IST, TNN

DHARAMSALA: The four third year students of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district, arrested for allegedly beating to

death their junior duringragging, have now been slapped wth murder charges. All four accused have been arrested under section 302 of IPC. Earlier, they were accused of culpable homicide (section 304) not amounting to murder. They have been also booked under the anti-ragging ordinance.

Amann Kachroo, 19, died on Sunday, hours after being ragged by his seniors the previous night. According to the forensic report, he died of brain haemorrhage induced by injury inflicted during excessive beating. His distraught family has sought the strictest penalty against the offenders.

All the accused are now in police custody. While Ajay Verma and Naveen Verma, who were arrested first, have been sent to custody till March 13, the other two — Mohit Sharma and Abhinav Verma — surrendered before the Dharamsala district and sessions court on Wednesday. They have been sent to police custody till March 16, Kangra SP Atul Fulzule told TOI.

Meanwhile, facing flak, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said all steps would be taken to ensure to that the entire state was ragging free.

Asked to elaborate on the role of the college principal, health minister Rajiv Bindal said a magisterial probe had been ordered even as the police are investigated the case.

"The internal administration of medical colleges in the state will be improved," he said.

In another swift measure, principal secretary, health, Deepak Sanan said a new principal would also be appointed in the medical college where the incident took place to replace Suresh Sankhayan. The latter has offered to put in his papers in the wake of the shocking incident.

Expressing outrage over the incident, student bodies have held both the college administration and state government responsible for turning a blind eye to the problem of ragging that plagues other colleges as well.

In another incident last year, authorities failed to take deterrent action against students of Ayurveda College, Paprola, who were accused of brutally beating new entrants after taking them to a distant place beyond the college premises.