PATNA: Three senior students of the College of Forestry in Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) in Jharkhand capital Ranchi were Sunday rusticated for allegedly stripping eight junior students, giving one of them a tonsure and then forcing them to have a cold bath on the terrace of a hostel on Saturday night.
“We conducted an inquiry immediately after receiving the complaints of ragging and found the charges against three accused students true. As the first measure, we have rusticated the three students,” said Mahadeo Mahto, dean of the faculty of forestry at BAU.
The university authorities gathered for a meeting and a probe into the charges though it was a Sunday. According to complaints, five senior students of MSc (forestry) had allegedly enacted ghastly acts in the name of ragging with eight students of BSc first year in the Saranda Boys Hostel on the university campus.
“Efforts are on to ascertain the charges levelled against two other senior students. Ragging in any manner is thoroughly banned in this institution,” said Mahto. “We have asked all the three rusticated students to immediately vacate their hostel rooms,” he added.
Gautam Kumar, one of the victims, lodged a complaint with the varsity authorities and also at the local police station at Kanke. Kumar had come to live in his hostel, Bhairavi Boys Hostel, on November 29. After dinner on Saturday evening, he and his batch-mates were allegedly called by the senior MSc students to Saranda Boys Hostel where the latter live.
The rusticated students are Pratap Kumar, Feroze Ahmed and Prashant Kumar. The rustication order was issued by varsity vice-chancellor after he learnt of the findings of the probe.
“We have received a formal complaint from the victim. We will investigate the allegations and take appropriate action against the accused as per law,” said Meera Singh, station house officer of Kanke police station.