Harassed by fellow trainees, 17-yr-old girl commits suicide

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1884048/report-harassed-by-fellow-trainees-17-yr-old-girl-commits-suicide

Unable to take the constant harassment by fellow trainees at a private company in Nashik, a 17-year-old girl committed suicide on Sunday. Six boys and four girls, whose names were mentioned in her suicide note, have been arrested for ragging her and remanded to four days’ police custody.

 On Sunday evening, after her parents and brother had gone to the market, the girl slit her wrists and then hanged herself in her house Indira Nagar. Her brother returned home first and, after she didn’t open the door, informed her father.

 He broke open the door only to find his daughter hanging. She was rushed to a city hospital where she died on Tuesday morning. The police arrested the 10 accused on Monday under Section 4 of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act 1999. They were produced before the court and were remanded to police custody for four days.

Their names are -- Bhushan Pardeshi, Abjijeet Bhor, Vishal Korade, Amit Pawar, Swapnil Sonawane, Harshal Patil, Shweta Shinde, Tejaswini Birari, Shubhada Kajale, and Neha Sonawane. According to the police, the girl was an apprentice at Nashik’s BOSCH company since one and a half year.

According to her suicide note, she was being harassed and mentally tortured by a group of 10 colleagues, including four girls, whom she has named in the note. Unable to deal with the continuous humiliation, she ended her life, the note said. The girl’s father stated that his daughter was an intelligent student. She topped in almost every course she took up. After securing good marks in standard X, she was selected as a trainee in turner trade at BOSCH.

She had also earned a gold medal in an exam conducted by the Computer Society of India. She had bagged a first prize at Bengaluru in June, at a national competition where she had represented her company. She was also selected for a training course in Germany on the basis of her intelligence, skills and sincerity. Her father also said that his daughter had mentioned that her colleagues were harassing and teasing her.

The girls and boys often taunted her and passed remarks, her father said, adding that he had also asked her to talk to her seniors without losing her focus at work. He had also spoken to her colleagues and requested them not to tease her, but that did not help. She had taken leave on Wednesday and Thursday as she was not well. But when she returned to work on Friday, the girls made fun of her with connotative comments. She was visibly depressed while going to work on Saturday, the day before she ended her life.

Ragged by seniors, student jumps in front of train

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-12/mumbai/39202910_1_suicide-note-two-students-government-railway-police

 MUMBAI: A second-year student of a Navi Mumbai college killed himself on Friday by jumping in front of a local train, allegedly because he was being ragged by two of his fellow students for the past several months. The victim, 19-year-old Nitin Balu Padalkar, left a suicide note in which he named the two students for harassing him.

 The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Kalyan said they will question the two students named in the suicide note on Monday when the college reopens. A case of unnatural death under Section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code has been registered though they said preliminary inquiries suggest it was a case of ragging. Nitin was a second-year student of electronics and telecommunications in the Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology, which is affiliated to the University of Mumbai and is part of the D Y Patil Group.

College officials could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. The state government and the university have called for reports on the incident. Nitin, who killed himself a day after his second-year final exams began, lived with his father Balu, who works as a labourer, mother Kamal and younger sister Nisha in the Kolsewadi area of Kalyan (East).

 Ragging is a crime under the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999, and institutes are supposed to have strict mechanisms to stop it. "The government will check if a mechanism to halt ragging as suggested by the Centre and the Raghavan committee was in place in the institution," said a bureaucrat in the higher and technical education department. Nitin was found on the tracks by motormen at 8.10pm on Friday, who alerted the Vithalwadi stationmaster.

The GRP officials were rushed to the spot and the victim was taken to Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. The victim's family corroborated the details in the suicide note saying Nitin had been depressed because of the harassment meted out to him by the students mentioned in the note. "As my brother was good in studies, two of his classmates had been ragging him since October. They harassed him over petty issues," Nitin's younger sister Nisha told TOI.

 She added, "Over the past four days, my brother had been very depressed about the continuous harassment and could not concentrate on his studies. Seeing my brother upset, even my mother wanted to complain about the harassment to college authorities, but Nitin told her not to do so because the two students would then tease him for being the boy who brought his mother to complain."

 On Friday, Nitin had left the house around 6pm telling his parents that he was going to meet a friend in the Chinchpada area, but he never returned. The family received a call from police at 8.50pm informing them of Nitin's death. S G Nirmal, Kalyan GRP police inspector said, "Preliminary investigations show it is ragging, as Nitin was depressed over the harassment by two fellow students. On the basis of the suicide note, we will question both the students once college starts on Monday. If needed, we will invoke the anti-ragging Act."

Ragging at MANET: Four students held, released on bail

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_ragging-at-manet-four-students-held-released-on-bail_1757441

The Loni Kalbhor police on Saturday arrested four students ofMaharashtra Academy of Naval Education and Training (MANET) for allegedly ragging one of their classmates for the last six months. The suspects were produced before the court which granted them bail on Saturday.

 Although the official FIR invoked section 4 of the anti-ragging regulations of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), MANET’s executive director Mangesh Karad said that it was not a case of ragging. According to the FIR, Amitkumar Anilkumar Sharma (22), a native of Bihar, was allegedly ragged by Sourabh Anil Kharat (21), Akshay Rajendra According to the FIR, Amitkumar Anilkumar Sharma (22), a native of Bihar, was allegedly ragged by Sourabh Anil Kharat (21), Akshay Rajendra Dhambhare (21), Somay Surendra Sable (21) and Nitin Laxman Maharnoor (23), all second-year students of BSc nautical sciences.

On Friday night, around 11, Sharma had allegedly consumed poison at his hostel room on the campus and had named the suspects in his suicide note. The note stated that the suspects had been harassing him for the last six months and had driven him to take the extreme step. Sharma was rushed to Noble Hospital and was discharged on Sunday. The police also said that the suspects used to tease Sharma by linking his name with other girls, which he found objectionable.

However, Karad said that this was not a case of ragging. “This action of the police was wrong as we have an anti-ragging committee and Sharma should have approached the committee. Sharma had got into trouble with outsiders. After his quarrel, he had asked his friends to get even with the outsiders. But since they did not help him much, he has implicated them in a false ragging case.

Sharma never approached the disciplinary committee nor has he directly approached the police,” Karad said. Karad also said that the college had informed the parents of the student for further action.

Cold Response Of GMCH, Ajni Police Towards Ragging On Campus

http://www.nagpurtoday.in/cold-response-of-gmch-ajni-police-towards-ragging-on-campus/

Nagpur News: In a case that has highlighted administrative apathy towards ragging in the city, Nidhi Yadav, a third year medical college student at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has her hand wrapped in bandages thanks to alleged bullying and manhandling by her senior, Rahul Khambalkar.

The incident took place on Saturday, over a minor misunderstanding about a comment on social networking site Facebook. Despite repeated complaints by her parents and classmates, the college administration has allegedly done nothing beyond promising the setting up of a committee to inquire into the matter. It has almost been a week since the incident, and no action has been taken.

The Ajni police have also been dragging its steps, having refrained from filing an FIR till Friday afternoon. “We were told that no case could be filed till we submit a medical report proving the harassment”, said Mrs. Vidya Yadav, the victim’s mother, “The casualty department of the college, where she was taken after the incident, has not given us a report yet.

We tried to get in touch with the doctor who checked her, but in vain”. The helpless parents then sought the help of the Nagpur wing of National Students Union of India (NSUI). The NSUI took the victim’s parents to Ajni police station yet again to file a complaint, and also called in the local media. “With UCN and Sahara Samay covering the news, the police finally conceded to file an FIR this afternoon”, NSUI officials told Nagpur Today,

“We questioned the GMCH administration’s need to constitute a fresh committee, since each college is already supposed to have an anti- ragging committee in place. Our questions were left unanswered”. Nagpur Today is in possession of the complaint letter given to the college Dean on Tuesday. The letter has been signed by fifteen of Nidhi’s BPMT batchmates. The letter has clearly had no impact on the college administration. The hospital’s Public Relations Officer (MBBS Department) categorically denied any knowledge of the incident.

Seniors ‘beat up’ Mahim college pupil

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-25/mumbai/34081859_1_bandra-college-college-authorities-complaint

MUMBAI: A month after six students of a Bandra college were suspended for ragging their juniors, a first-year student of Mahim's St Xavier's Institute of Engineering has registered a complaint against two second-year diploma students of the college for allegedly bashing him up.

The Mahim police, on Monday, registered a non-cognizable complaint against the two accused.

"My son was beaten up twice in seven days by the two seniors. After the second incident, my son stopped going to college," said Maria Perreira, mother of the first-year student. According to complaint, the victim was beaten up by the two outside the college canteen on September 21. "What is the guarantee that my son will not be beaten up again? I had to ask for help from the police," she added.

"We recorded the complainant's statement and according to him, the fight started after a carom game. We have registered a non-cognizable complaint as of now," said an official at Mahim police station.

Perreira, along with some Yuva Sena members, also visited the college authorities to demand justice for her son. "My son had also been receiving threatening calls from the two and ever since, he hasn't stepped out of the house," the mother said.

 College principal Shivaji Ghungrad took note of the complaint and has asked the three students and their parents to come for a meeting on Tuesday.

"I have spoken to the second-year students as well as the complainant. We will meet them on Tuesday and discuss the matter. It's not serious and we will solve it on Tuesday," said Ghungrad. He also added that if need be, they will start counselling for both parties. "We will also thoroughly check the backgrounds of these students before taking any decision," added Ghungrad.

Ragging trauma lands class 11 Pune girl in hospital

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/ragging-trauma-lands-class-11-pune-girl-in-hospital-263307

Pune: Supriya (name changed), a Std XI student of MIT Junior College, has been admitted to hospital after an incident of alleged ragging by girls from her class left her in deep shock. The traumatised girl's parents have alleged that her classmates forced her to eat non-vegetarian food, used her new moped without her consent and even taunted her for not having a boyfriend.

 Following the incident, the parents withdrew Supriya's admission on August 29 and made a formal complaint before the junior college authorities, seeking stringent action against the girls responsible.

 "My daughter was studying in MIT college and for the last one month she was facing harassment by three of her classmates," Supriya's father said. "She suffered in silence for long, not uttering a single word at home or making any complaint to the class teacher or principal."

 Humiliated

He said that over the one month of ragging Supriya went through, she was forced by the three girls from her class to do various humiliating things. "She was once asked to eat non-vegetarian food even though she is vegetarian," he said. "Her classmates took rides on her new moped without her consent and even teased her for not having a boyfriend. For the entire month of August she was going through these traumatic situations and finally in the last week of the month, she broke her silence and narrated the incident of ragging to us, which made us approach the police and the college." Supriya's father said the police asked them to first approach the college.

"We even approached the Kothrud police station and asked it to lodge a complaint, but the police asked us to approach the college authorities with our complaints and said that they (college authorities) should lodge a complaint in this case," he said. Police Inspector (Crime) S B Navale of the Kothrud police station said the parents of the girl had approached them, but according to the Anti-Ragging Act the college or school should form a committee and initiate an inquiry, after which if the accused students are found guilty the educational institution should lodge a complaint with the police.

 Inquiry panel

The college constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the matter on Monday. "The committee will look into the matter and will submit its report in the next seven days," MIT Junipr College Principal Dr Rohini Patwardhan said. "We have received a written complaint from the parents of the girl just yesterday, and before that we were totally unaware about the incident happening on our campus. We have to consider both sides."

 Patwardhan, who is the chairperson of the college inquiry committee, made the assurance that justice would prevail. Supriya was studying in 'A' division, which has the most meritorious students in Std XI of the college.

The accusations - The victim was forced to consume non-vegetarian food - Her new two-wheeler was used by her classmates without her consent. When the girl protested, she was beaten up in the college parking lot - The vicitm was teased by the accused over her not having a boyfriend

Girl attempts suicide after alleged ragging in hostel

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/aug/180812-mumbai-Girl-attempts-suicide-after-alleged-ragging-in-hostel.htm

A 20-year-old student of a city-based college attempted suicide by consuming poison at her Goregaon hostel on Tuesday night. The girl alleges that constant ragging by her roommates had troubled her and unable to bear the torment, she decided to end her life. She was discharged from hospital yesterday, and has subsequently filed a complaint with the anti-ragging cell. Anita Pai (name changed), an orphan who was raised at a shelter managed by Sneha Sadan in Chembur, is a student of Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work, Churchgate, and is in her final year at the college. She alleges that after being ragged for a month by three of her roommates, she decided to take the drastic step.

After Pai consumed poison, she called up one of her friends who immediately alerted the police. Goregaon police arrived at the hostel and first took a semiconscious Pai to Bhagwati hospital, after which she was transferred to Sion hospital. The police had retrieved a suicide note from the girl’s pocket in which she wrote that she could not put up with the torture her roommates subjected her to, and hence wanted to end her life. “I had to miss a test in college that morning, as my roommates hid my cupboard key and I couldn’t get ready for college,” said Pai. “That very same night they verbally abused me and after putting up with similar harassment for a month I was fed up and decided to end my life,” she added. “My roommates knew I had consumed poison, but none of them came forward to help me,” said Pai. She further alleged that even after complaining to her college administration no action was taken against her roommates.

College authorities, however, contrary to the girls claim state that she harassed her roommates, as she is mentally unstable, and have sent her back to Sneha Sadan following the incident. “We have sent her back to the institute because of her misconduct in the past two to three days. Sneha Sadan had asked us to keep her in the hostel ever since she joined our college, but now we have decided not to let her stay here,” said Lidvin Dias, faculty member of the college. Geeta Balakrishnan, principal of the college, denied that Pai has been expelled from hostel or was even ragged. She said, “The girl is epileptic, and she is undergoing medical treatment. But, because she is on a diet she used to skip her medicine intake. Our college counsellors, including me, have counselled her several times, as she is psychologically depressed. There has never been any ragging incident in our college or hostel.

Any student or any of her roommates never ragged her. She attempted suicide because of her psychological problem. The three students are just a month old in the hostel and are postgraduate students.” Suresh Shinde, senior inspector with Vanrai Police station, said, “Preliminary investigations are ongoing, and the girl is a little mentally disturbed according to her college officials and her hostel staff. They also say that she was troubling other students. Her roommates never ragged her, as she is senior to them. They have been at that hostel for only a month. How can they rag her?

Five collegians suspended for ragging

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-08-08/mumbai/33100000_1_maharashtra-prohibition-college-authorities-final-year-students MUMBAI:

Five final-year students of L S Raheja College of Art in Bandra have been suspended by the college authorities for ragging a group of juniors outside the campus last week. The five—all doing diploma in applied arts—faced action after an inquiry by the college found them guilty of ragging and harassing 11 juniors on a local train. The college has submitted a report to the Bandra Government Railway Police and the students will remain suspended till the police complete their probe. The incident took place on July 26 when 11 third-year students , five of them girls, boarded the 7.22pm Churchgatebound train from Bandra. The five seniors got into the same bogie and accosted them. We were roughed up and humiliated, says victim.

Cracking the whip on ragging, L S Raheja College of Art has suspended five final-year students for harassing a group of juniors on a local train on July 26. The five seniors who were in the same compartment as the victims first accosted them. "They demanded money from the girls, and when they refused, they roughed up the boys. They also humiliated the girls in front of the other commuters . This group had an altercation with a few boys from our batch in the college canteen some days ago. This time we decided to take the matter to the police and put an end to the torture," one of victims of the ragging said.

On July 27, the group of 11 complained to the college authorities and later, along with their batchmates, lodged a complaint with the Bandra GRP. On July 30, GRP officials got in touch with the college management and also spoke to the students involved in the incident. The police had asked the college management to conduct an inquiry and submit a report along with a complaint , if they found anyone guilty. "We immediately set up a committee and started an inquiry . All the students involved were questioned and we found five guilty of ragging and harassing juniors. We suspended the students and also submitted a report to the Bandra GRP on Monday," college principal Sridhar Badhekar said. "The principal of Raheja College submitted a report to us and also mentioned the names of the five students suspended . We will be seeking permission from a magistrate court to investigate the case. Under section 155 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a case which is non-cognizable in nature cannot be probed by the police without the orders of the magistrate," senior inspector V Dhopavkar of Bandra GRP said.

Around three years ago, the University Grants Commission had sent out circulars to all schools and colleges across the country about the 'no-tolerance' stand on ragging . Guidelines on what amounts to ragging and helpline numbers were also shared with colleges. The stringent measures initiated by the educational institutions had brought down ragging on campuses.

The state, too, has laid down guidelines against ragging . As per section 6 (1) of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999, "Whenever any student, parent or teacher of an educational institution complains of ragging to the head of the institution in writing , the head shall enquire into it within a week. If found true, the student accused of the offence should be suspended and the complaint should immediately be forwarded to the concerned police station." If the head of the educational institution fails or neglects to take action, he will be deemed to have abetted the offence of ragging and shall, on conviction , be punished under provisions of the Act, according to section 7.

7 students of Government Ayurvedic college held for thrashing batchmate

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-30/nagpur/32941265_1_batchmates-students-seniors

NAGPUR: City police have charged seven first year students of Government Ayurvedic College on Umrer Road with rioting and causing grievous hurt. One of their batchmates had lodged a complaint on Saturday evening that he and some of his friends had been subjected to ragging. Vishal Mali had approached police with visible injury marks on his body after being thrashed by batchmates over a trivial issue.

Acting on Mali's complaint, Sakkardara police arrested Sumeet Nake, Mahesh Kale, Kalpesh Katariya, Sharad Bajaj, Rupesh Sarpe, Bharat Ubhale and Prashant Nagre. All the accused and the victim are students of Bachelor of Ayurveda medicine and surgery (BAMS). Mali is the son of a reputed Ayurveda practitioner Dr Gajanan from Akola. The fight started over the use of warm water in washing clothes. Vishal was near the taps and was asked by Nake to go inside the bathroom to wash clothes. Vishal refused, leading to a heated argument between Vishal and Nake. Very soon Vishal was outnumbered by Nake and his friend, who pinned down Vishal and showering him with blows and punches. Kale fetched a stick and repeatedly hit Vishal.

After the incident, Vishal informed his father Dr Gajanan before heading to Sakkardara police station to report the matter. "I had already complained about harassment by seniors, which prompted them to devise a fresh strategy to corner me. The seniors urged my batchmates to mentally and physically torture me, which is no less than any ragging," said Vishal. Dr Gajanan said a complaint of ragging has been already given to the college in November last year. There was a compromise after that, but the situation did not change, and in fact worsened for his son Vishal, said Dr Gajanan, who vowed to take up the issue with the human rights commission.

Sources from Sakkardara police station said since the issue was between students of the same batch, the incident cannot be described as ragging. "Police cannot directly call it ragging, without the college and university authorities describing it as such after formal procedures and an internal inquiry," said an officer. Associate professor Dr EE Moses, also holding additional charge of hostel superintendent, said a committee was formed under Dean Dr Ganesh Mukkawar after Vishal complained of ragging, but the matter was amicably settled. "It seems the latest incident is another fight after sudden provocation," he said. Dr Moses, however, indicated that the latest issue would be brought before the authorities to decide the future course of action.

Complaints by other students too Nagpur:

Ankit Narwade, first year student of Government Ayurvedic college on Umrer road, said ragging in the institution had forced him to spend a couple of nights on the railway platform in the past. "I had to take shelter in a lodge for fear of being ragged in the hostel by seniors," he said. Another first year student, Pranab Kolhe, said that seniors needed to be addressed as 'sir' and one had to keep his eyes down when they passed by. The students also claimed that they would be locked inside the rooms and washrooms, asked to learn the names of seniors by heart, consume liquor and face humiliation, including keeping their head bowed while standing for long hours.

Nine students booked for ragging

http://www.odishatv.in/NewsDetail.asp?newsId=NS59063

Parbhani (Maha): Nine students of a local veterinary college have been booked for ragging their juniors, police said. The offence was registered at Nava Mondha police station here.

According to police, 24 junior students were tortured physically and mentally by the senior students. The accused are identified as Nikhil Deshmukh, Pandurang Ghuge, Arun Shinde, Balaji Jadhav, Mahesh Bhuktare, Nilay Raut, Sidheshwar Badane, Ravindranath Etalwad and Vikas Gadewad.

According to police, the incident had taken place a few days ago. However, when a professor came to know about the matter, he lodged a complaint on Friday.

Hostel inmates rebel over eviction of 3 girls accused of ragging

NAGPUR: Girls from a government hostel thronged the social welfare office on Thursday and protested for the entire day after the warden evicted three senior girls for allegedly ragging two sisters. The evicted girls and rest of the hostel residents claimed the ragging allegations were false, and demanded that the seniors girls should be allowed back in the hostel. Finally, the three girls were allowed to stay till senior social welfare officials return from Mumbai.

Smita Kamde, Namrapali Gondane and Sangeeta Bankar, all students of LLM second year, were thrown out of the hostel after Shalini and Nalini Bagde alleged ragging and torture by them.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Bagde sisters, staying at a government hostel in Sakkardara, had alleged torture and ragging since last week by three senior girls. They had even gone to file a complaint at Sadar police station but were turned away. Police said a case could be registered only after the warden or other government official lodged a complaint.

On Thursday, the rest of the girls at the hostel raised slogans and marched to the divisional commissioner's officer to protest the eviction of three senior girls. However, they were turned away since the commissioner was not in the city. The protesting girls were also sent back from the police commissioner's office as police chief Ankush Dhanvijay was busy in a meeting. Later, the girls reached Sadar police station where they were assured of proper action against the warden.

"There was no ragging at all. The Bagde sisters are lying," said Sangeeta. The girls said that a few months ago these three seniors had complained and protested against the then warden Rajni Vaidya for harassing and forcing them to do extra work at the hostel. "She would abuse us and threaten to oust us from the hostel. Hence, the seniors complained about her and she was suspended," said Sangeeta.

Shalini claims that since she and her sister did not support the seniors in the complaint against Vaidya, they accused Nalini of stealing a cell phone and beat her in front of other girls.

The other girls however allege that since Vaidya is a distant relative of the Bagde sisters, she might have forced the sisters to file a complaint against the girls.

Lajwanti Singar, present warden of the hostel, denied any ragging happened in the hostel. She said that till higher officials return from Mumbai, all the girls will be allowed to stay in the hostel. Social welfare officer Siddharth Gaikwad did not pick up phone calls.

Man says Dastur School harassing his son

The Father of a Class V student of Sardar Dastur Boy’s School has complained against the principal of Sardar Dastur Hoshang Boys School, alleging that the school has been targeting his child and harassing him for no reason. But the school said the child has some behavioral and disciplinary problems for which he has been given several warnings.

Javed Mulla on Saturday submitted an application to Bund Garden Police station, saying, “The school management has been targeting my child from Day 1. They accused my 11-year-old son of ragging his classmates. Last week, the principal called my wife and forcibly made her sign a letter that in case there is another complaint against the child, he will be rusticated.”

No official complaint has been lodged yet. However, principal Lily Patel refused to accept any allegations. “The child has shown disciplinary problems from the very beginning. He is known to have shown erratic behaviour in class. Recently, he pulled down the pants of another student. Our counsellor has been trying to help the child. But the father is not ready to accept that his child needs therapy,” said Patel. Counsellor Vaishali Pilimoria said, “The boy has disciplinary problems.”

13 students fined Rs25,000 each for ragging in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The Government Medical College in Aurangabad has fined 13 final year students Rs 25,000 each for ragging a fresher, in what might be the first such case of its kind in Maharashtra.

The 13 seniors were accused of coercing the victim into playing cricket with them in the rain despite his repeated entreaties and protests. A day later, he took seriously ill. An inquiry into the incident found the 13 MBBS students guilty of ragging.


On receiving a complaint, we instituted a probe as per the guidelines prescribed under the anti-ragging act, said college dean K S Bhopale. After it confirmed that the student was ragged, we fined each guilty senior Rs 25,000 and banned them from participating in cultural activities.

The Medical Council of India prescribes a range of punishments contingent on the gravity of the ragging offence. Among the penalties are suspension from classes, rustication for one to four semesters and a fine of Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

The Aurangabad ragging incident occurred on September 4, when the students were staging a cricket match between juniors and seniors on the college ground. The victim, explaining his poor health, tried to excuse himself from the contest, but the seniors blockaded the exit. Bowing down to the pressure, he played out the match. The very next day, he fell ill with high fever.

His father complained in writing to Bhopale, who set up a committee headed by the college's senior-most professor, S T Khan, to probe the allegation. Khan recorded the statements of the senior students and the victim, Bhopale said. Other junior students claimed there was no ragging. But the committee confirmed the victim's complaint and recommended suitable action against errant seniors.

Despite crackdown, ragging continues in Chennai colleges

Arun Janardhanan, TNN Aug 31, 2011, 07.19am IST

MUMBAI: From forbidding juniors from wearing branded clothes to forcing them to travel unreserved when they go home, senior students have devised many ways of bullying first year students.

Despite the stringent measures adopted by the government and colleges, ragging continues in many private institutions. Often, the practice crosses the line of mere ragging and takes the form of bullying and even violence.

A second year engineering student in a leading professional college said juniors were not allowed to interact with classmates, especially of the opposite sex, on campus or outside. "We cannot go to shopping malls or cinemas during the first year. The seniors enforce these rules strictly and ensure that we are put to maximum pain during the first year," said a first year mechanical engineering student.

Even in cases where bullying crosses the limits of endurance, most students remain silent because they have paid huge amounts as capitation and course fees. "I have paid more than 1.5 lakh as the annual fees. So I can't go back to my parents complaining of ragging," said a student from an engineering college near Old Mahabalipuram Road.

Students say the money their parents send them has to be handed over to seniors. "None of us is allowed to keep any money after paying hostel fees," said a student.

SS Rao, registrar of Sathyabhama College, said they were following the government norms to curb ragging. "We have an active antiragging squad. We maintain a system of secret squads and informers among students to identify the culprits," he said.

A senior higher education official said they are closely monitoring all the colleges. State higher education minister P Palaniappan recently said that the government is considering the feasibility of setting up a state-level helpline to take complaints directly from ragging victims, in line with the national help desk of the University Grants Commission.

10-yr-olds ragged in Mumbai

Published: Saturday, Aug 27, 2011, 8:00 IST

In a shocking case of ragging, Ayush Shelar and Aditya Kokane, studying in standard V at RM Bhatt High School, Parel, allegedly they were forcefully injected with a syringe by some students from class XII in the school toilet three days ago.

However, the school principal maintained that the seniors were only teasing the children. A senior police inspector, said, “We will only be able to take action once it is proved that they were really injected.’’

The incident allegedly took place on Wednesday when the boys had gone to use the toilet. “‘Two girls suddenly grabbed our legs so that we could not escape. One boy brought out a syringe and filled it with some liquid. We felt a prick as they injected us. Another senior came into the toilet and asked them to stop,’’ said Shelar.

Asked to sing songs by seniors, girl takes pics of 'tormentors'

College denies 1st-year student ragged in girls' hostel, but sets up inquiry panel after father arrives with political activists

College-Goers better be wary. Even things like asking your junior college-mates their names or asking them to sing a song can land you in trouble. A first-year engineering degree course student hailing from Mumbai who took admission at Zeal Education Society's Dnyanganga College of Engineering and Research in Narhe alleged ragging from her seniors and even called her parents to the college.

Acting on a complaint, the college immediately set up a three-member committee to inquire into the incident.
According to a few girls staying in the hostel of the engineering college, the alleged ragging took place
on Saturday night, around 11.30 pm.

"I came to know through another girl the next day. The girl had called her father to the campus. Some political activists also came and raised a ruckus. They said that the girl was told to entertain some senior students by singing and dancing to item numbers. They said she was also asked to take off her jacket and imitate ramp models," a girl from the hostel said on condition of anonymity.

But the girl did not let the incident let be. She told her father about the incident immediately and he, in turn, advised her to collect information such as the names of the seniors and even take pictures, if possible, of the girls who had entered her room. The next day her father arrived at the college along with a few RPI activists
and local policemen and demanded action against the senior girls for ragging his daughter.

'Harmless incident'
College authorities said that when they made inquiries they found out that no ragging had taken place and the senior girls had entered the room just to make friends and do a bit of mischief. "When confronted, the junior girl clarified that she had not been ragged. She was asked her name and they jokingly asked her to sing songs. But girl was not made to dance, according to the statement she gave us.

She called up her father who advised her to take their pictures as a precaution and he came here to ensure
no untoward incident takes place," said S M Katkar, director of the engineering college. He said the girl's father said a similar incident had taken place in Mumbai with one of his relatives and that's why the family did not want to take any risks.

According to Katkar, a three-member inquiry committee has been set up to inquire if the incident did take place and if the girl changed her statement either under pressure or due to panic. While no police case has been filed in this regard, students in the hostel are happy that the incident has at least led to seniors being afraid of ragging juniors as it might get them into troubble.

"I admire the girl's quick thinking and also her father's concern who arrived immediately. Even if someone was thinking of ragging, now they will refrain from it," said a girl.

8 held for abducting, ragging engg students

NAGPUR: The city police on Monday arrested eight youths for allegedly kidnapping and ragging two first-year students of an engineering college. Prakash Singh, 17, has alleged in his complaint to Nandanvan police that he along with his co-student Abhijeet Maran, 19, was forcibly taken by college seniors to various locations and ragged for hours. Police said that after being kidnapped, the two boys were forced to strip and subjected to physical humiliation and abuse.

Whenever they refused to comply, they were beaten up. This incident is one of the ugliest ragging cases that have come to light in the last couple of years. Prakash is a student at Bhagwati Chaturvedi College of Engineering (BCE) where some of the accused also study. Of the eight accused, Pushpajeet Ranjan, Manish Singh, Ranjan Chanchal, Vishnu Singh and Prince Kumar Rai are students of BCE. Apart from Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, the accused have also been booked under the various sections of the IPC. These include section 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful group committing offence against common object), 352 (assault), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene acts), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 363 (kidnapping).

Police said the accused took away victims from their residence on Monday. A third student was let off as he pleaded that it was time for his afternoon prayers. This student then informed the victims' local guardian, Chandan Prasad.

Speaking to TOI, Prasad, said, "I was informed of the destination in Chitnis Nagar where Prakash was being held. I reached there from my residence in Hingna by 4pm. I then convinced the seniors to release the boys and dropped them back to their residence."

(Names of victims have been changed to protect identity)

Boy smarting from ragging, but all say it’s a blank case

Two years after an engineering student complained of mental harassment by his batchmates, the Mumbai University Students’ Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) is clueless whether it was indeed a ragging case.

Atul Tambavekar, a student of electronics and telecommunication engineering at the Indira Gandhi college of engineering, Koparkhairane, says the harassment began after he took admission in 2007-08.

“Some classmates began linking me with a girl. They also drew vulgar images on the institute’s walls with our names,” Tambvekar told DNA. “Everyone in college knew who was responsible, but nobody uttered a word out of fear. The professors too turned a blind eye.”

The aggrieved student says he decided to take a break for a year to avoid that group. “I left my papers blank following which the university questioned me,” recalled Tambvekar.

“I told them it was a ragging case and even approached the Koparkhairane police station to lodge a complaint. But they did not register an FIR. They lodged an NC, saying it cannot be a ragging case as there are no seniors involved,” said Tambvekar.

Hurt by the cold response from the police, Tambvekar filed a complaint with the SGRC in 2009-10. He even wrote a letter to the University Grants Commission. They inquired with the university and police, but there has been no action so far. “Now they are blaming me by calling it a one-sided love affair. They allege that I harassed the girl whereas she did not complain about me anywhere. I plan to approach the court now,” said a disappointed Tambvekar.

The SGRC differed with the boy. “We have received a complaint letter from the girl. But we won’t disclose its content to safeguard her reputation and safety. She is not ready to complain openly due to fear of society,” an SGRC member said. Added Mrudul Nile, another SGRC member: “It does not seem to be a ragging case, but a report is awaited.”

College principal Santosh Narayankhedkar told DNA: “This is not a ragging case. But we are awaiting the university report. At present, Tambvekar is not a bona fide student of the college due to several ATKTs that he has to clear.”

Ragging scandal hits govt dental college

NAGPUR: After the VNIT ragging case, the scourge seems to have hit Government Dental College and Hospital. College authorities are busy inquiring into a ragging scandal that has rocked the campus. They received a letter from a former student last month complaining about alleged ragging he had to endure while in college.

Viraat Jayswal (name changed), a Pune resident, had enrolled in the college in September 2010 as a fresher but went back to his home town within four months without citing any reason. In February, he applied for cancellation of his admission and requested that all his original documents in college possession be handed back to him. A month later, he sent a letter to the college detailing the actual reason for his leaving the college.

In the letter, Jayswal said he was the victim of prolonged ragging by seniors at Dental College students' hostel. He claimed he was beaten up so badly during one incident that he had to take medical treatment at Government Medical College and Hospital. Jayswal named five seniors who he alleged tortured him mentally and physically. Out of fear of further harassment, he never reported the matter to the authorities. All the five accused were staying at the same hostel and hence he could not find the courage to stand up to them. Finally, when he could not handle the trauma he decided to return to Pune, Jayswal claimed.

Jayswal said he was filing the complaint because he did not want other students to go through the same trauma. He also named more victims, currently studying at the hostel, who had similarly suffered but chose to remain silent. Jayswal is so scared of the alleged culprits students that has not returned to Nagpur since filing the complaint.

Speaking to TOI, college dean Dr Vinay Hazare confirmed that the inquiry committee was formed on April 1 and that the final report should be presented within 'a couple of days'. "I want to make sure that the spirit and purpose of the Anti-Ragging Act is not defeated. The college acted immediately on receiving the complaint and we are following every procedure. This is the first time such a complaint has come to my office. I cannot comment more until final report is ready," he said.

Sources in college confirmed that the inquiry has found all five students guilty. Of the five, three are undergraduate students and two are interns. All five denied the charges completely but they were nailed on the basis of circumstantial and other evidence. Questioning of Jayswal's classmates and hostel mates continued till late evening on Wednesday.

A non-teaching staff member said on condition of anonymity, "there is no eyewitness to the event. However, Jayswal had taken treatment at GMC for injuries as he mentioned in the letter. The committee also spoke to a large number of hostel residents, teachers and classmates of both Jayswal and the accused."

When TOI visited the hostel, junior students refused to speak as their seniors were around. One of the seniors, however, said that the inquiry seemed one-sided as Jayswal never appeared personally before it. He added that Jayswal has only made allegations and had not supplied any evidence. This was the point on which some committee members had raised objections. It was suggested that Jayswal be given a date by which to appear before the committee to substantiate his charges. However, another senior committee member said a written complaint was enough to hold the inquiry as per the law.

Officers from two neighbouring police stations were also consulted during the probe. However, the college has yet to file an FIR in the case but may do so on completing its inquiry.

MBBS student found dead at Talegaon

TNN, Mar 2, 2011, 11.25am IST

PUNE: Abhishek Adilkumar Panda, a second-year MBBS student of the Maharashtra Institute of Medical Education and Research (MIMER) in Talegaon, was found dead in his flat near the institute on Tuesday.

According to the Talegaon Dabhade police, Abhishek, originally from Bhubaneshwar, was found in an unconscious state by his room-mate at around 2 pm. He was taken to the college's hospital but was declared dead on arrival.