Beaten, Humiliated for 12 Hours: Ranchi Student Allegedly Ragged

Three post-graduate students, accused by the first-year student, have been rusticated from the college.

A first-year student of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) in Kanke, Ranchi, was allegedly ragged for 12 straight hours starting Saturday night, reported The Telegraph. Three students, accused by the victim, have been rusticated from the college.

BSc forestry student Gautam Kumar, 20, had joined the university on 21 November. He reported to the college authorities and police on Sunday that he was thrashed and his head was shaven off by three post-graduates in an incident of ragging. The ordeal started at 9 pm and lasted till 9 am.

Saying that such an incident cannot be tolerated, BAU Vice Chancellor Nitin Madan Kulkarni rusticated three students – Firoz Ahmad, Prashant Kumar and Prabhat Kumar Singh – whom Gautam had identified earlier as his tormentors, on Sunday night.

A university official claimed that this was the first such incident to occur in the institute since it was inaugurated in 1981.

Gautam had managed to identify three students among the five reportedly involved in the ragging and an enquiry committee set up by the college authorities headed by Forestry Department Dean Mahadeo Mahto, recommended immediate rustication.

The committee comprising concurred that prima facie, ragging had taken place.

Mahadeo Mahto, Forestry Department Dean

Probe is on to identify the two other accused whom Kumar couldn’t identify

Mahto stressed that once the other two are identified, similar action will be taken against them too.

Fellow First-Year Students Tell a Different Tale

Kanke Sub-Inspector Meera Singh, who acted on Gautam's FIR and started a probe, found a totally different recalling of events by other students on the campus.

At least seven first-year students confessed to me that they had beaten up their classmate Gautam. They alleged that Gautam was in the habit of stealing money and that they had beaten him up after many found their cash missing. The victim, however, alleged that he was ragged and beaten up by his seniors. This calls for a complete investigation.

Meera Singh, Kanke sub-inspector

However, speaking to The Telegraph, Gautam stuck to his side of the story and alleged that drunk seniors severely beat him up and humiliated him throughout the night.

(Source: The Telegraph)