HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Nov 28: A postgraduate student of Dibrugarh University was hospitalised after suffering serious injuries caused allegedly during ragging in a hostel.
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Eighteen students of the institute were expelled from the university and three were arrested in this connection.
The incident happened on November 26 when the student was tortured brutally following which he jumped from the second floor of the hostel to save himself from ‘ragging’.
Following the incident Dibrugarh University authorities on Monday expelled 18 students from the university hostel for their involvement in ragging. Three other students who were arrested by the police in connection with the incident were temporarily suspended from attending classes till completion of inquiry.
Anand Sharma, a first semester M.Com student and a boarder of Padma Nath Gohain Baruah Chatra Nivas (PNGB hostel) was allegedly tortured by senior students including a former student of Dibrugarh University from 4:30 pm of November 26 to 5 am of November 27.
Unable to bear the torture he on the pretext of going to the bathroom jumped off from the second floor of the B Block of the PNGB hostel to save himself from the extreme physical and mental torture.
The student sustained grievous injuries in the process and was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital.
The student’s mother Sarita Sharma, a resident of Amguri in Sivasagar district also filed an FIR at the Dibrugarh police station on Sunday night where she named several students of Dibrugarh University including an ex-student named Rahul Chetry who was a former general secretary of Dibrugarh University student body.
Swinging into action the police detained three accused namely Pranjit Boruah, Niranjan Thakur and Simanta Hazarika from the hostel on Sunday night itself. They were later arrested under sections 120B/341/395/307/143 of the IPC. Search for the other accused named in the FIR is underway.
In her FIR Sarita Sharma had mentioned that the accused students tortured her son mentally and physically, attempted to kill him, looted his money and snatched away his mobile. They also took objectionable photographs of her son by putting alcohol and weed in his hand, she stated in the FIR.
Talking to this correspondent, Dibrugarh additional SP(HQ) Bitul Chetia said, “So far we have arrested involved in ragging incident and sent them in jail. Two are still absconding. As per law we will take action against the accused involved in the ragging incident.”
On Monday, Dibrugarh University expelled 18 students from the hostel for their involvement in the incident. They were Galab Deka, 3rd Semester (Life Sciences), Niranjan Yadav, 3rd Semester (Statistics), Kalyan Dutta, 3rd Semester, (History), Simanta Hazarika, 3rd Semester (Economics), Pranjit Boruah, 3rd Semester (Chemistry), Chandan Jyoti Borah Sonowal, 3rd Semester (Statistics), Shivam Shroff (BCA), Pusang Kham Boruah, 2nd year (Tai Language), Pallav Borah, 3rd Semester (Education), Chitrabon Baruah, 3rd Semester (BCA), Narayan Adhikari, 3rd Semester (Chemistry), Nayanjit Thengal, 3rd Semester, (Applied Psychology), Monuranjan Das, 3rd Semester,(Anthropology), Mousum Phukan, 3rd Semester (Applied Geophysics), Bishal Deka, 3rd Semester (Geography), Debasish Biswas, 3rd Semester (Statistics), Amar Jyoti Nath, 3rd Semester (Travel & Tourism Management) and Nabadeep Sarma, 3rd Semester (Applied Geology).
The three arrested students namely Dibyajyoti Gogoi, 3rd Semester (Applied Geology), Niranjan Thakur, 3rd Semester (Physical Education) and Subhrajit Baruah, 3rd Semester (Political Science) were temporarily suspended from attending classes till completion of enquiry. The action was taken by the Anti-Ragging Committee (ARC) of the university under Clause 6 of the Dibrugarh University Regulations for Prohibiting Ragging and Anti-Ragging Measures.
Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu on Monday ordered a magisterial enquiry which will be conducted by ADC Sanghamitra Baruah into the Dibrugarh University ragging incident.
Meanwhile, a same kind of incident took place in Jorhat where a student of Jagannath Barooah College (Autonomous) has alleged facing ragging by senior hostel boarders of the College.
The student identified as Pranab Jyoti Chetia, a first semester undergraduate Assamese Major, uploaded a post on social media platform on Sunday night, levelling charges of mental and physical harassment in the name of ragging while he was in the Syed Abdul Malik Boys hostel of the College two months ago.
Chetia along with his post uploaded a video and photos of the Dibrugarh University student in the hospital bed.
Chetia, who hails from North Lakhimpur district, in the post narrated that he was excited at the prospect that he would be taking admission into a College which boasted of being ragging-free in its prospectus. He further stated in the post that after admission into college and hostel he faced an unimaginable situation wherein he had to face mental and physical harassment on a daily basis especially during night.
Citing a few instances, he alleged that seniors used slang words and made the freshers perform inhuman acts like making them stand from 9 or 10 pm till the wee hours. Further he alleged that seniors in an inebriated state used to ask them to undress and physically torture them by pinching them on their butts and also shaving their hair.
Chetia also mentioned that seniors forcing him and the new students to jump over the gate to fetch cigarettes and ‘bidis’ for them.
Stating that he had lodged a complaint with the college authorities regarding the harassment, Chetia said that due to certain reasons he backed out and left the hostel, and moved into a private hostel that affected him financially as he came from an underprivileged family.
He tagged his post to Assam Police and JB College.
When contacted JB College vice principal (Academic, Arts) of the College Dr Surajit Sharma said that the Grievance Cell of the College had received the complaint from Chetia in September regarding harrassment faced by him in the hostel and immediately started a process of enquiry by the Anti Ragging Committee if the College.
However, Dr Sharma said as that the enquiry by the Anti- Ragging. Committee pursued the complaint, the complainant two days after lodging the complaint backed out and left the hostel and the charges could not be substantiated.
The vice principal said that the College, however, took an undertaking from the students, who had been charged by Chetia, wherein it was mentioned that if any more charges were brought against the senior students they would face strict disciplinary action.
Chetia in the letter submitted to the hostel warden stated that while leaving the hostel, Dr Sharma said that there was no mention of harassment for leaving the hostel.
The vice principal stated that the College took a serious view over ragging and said that if any student was facing this then they should approach the College authorities.
