BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Binayak Acharya Government College ragging and sexual harassment grabs the headlines, parents of two students who had ended their lives allegedly due to ragging are deeply unhappy with police probe.
Balangir police investigation into alleged suicide of a student of Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital found no link with ragging. A senior district police officer claimed the medical college student may have taken the extreme step because he did not want to study in Balangir.
In April, the first year MBBS student had fallen to death from the roof of his hostel. His father Kishan Kumar had alleged he was subjected to ragging and mental harassment by the seniors. He had named the institution’s anti-ragging cell as an accused in his police complaint, charging it with failure in preventing ragging incidents that allegedly forced his son to end his life.
However, Balangir SDPO Tofan Bag, who was investigating the case, said he did not find any prima facie evidence of ragging. “It has come to our notice that he did not want to study at a place far from his home and may have taken the extreme step due to it,” said Bag.
On screenshots of WhatsApp chats between the victim and his friend that were made public by Kumar pointing to ragging angle, the police officer said it was a “normal thing on campuses.” Dean of the MCH Dr Sabita Mohapatra too claimed no ragging link was found, a statement the student’s father refuses to buy.
“We conducted a thorough inquiry into the case but did not find any evidence about the student being ragged by his seniors in any manner. The NHRC team had also visited the campus for inquiry and we have submitted our report to them,” said the dean.
The victim’s father accused the college authorities of derailing the investigation. “There is no truth in what the college authorities and police are saying. We are waiting for the NHRC report on the case,” he said.
In July, a Plus III first year student of BJB College allegedly died by suicide. The suicide note mentioned she was being ragged and mentally harassed by three seniors. The victim’s mother Bidyut Prava Mohanty had written to President of India Droupadi Murmu on July 29 seeking her intervention in the case. The President’s office asked the chief secretary of Odisha, to inform Mohanty about the action taken in the case.
“However, police and college authorities continue to keep us in the dark about what happened in my daughter’s case and what is being done to bring the culprits to book,” she said. Meanwhile, the School and Mass Education and Higher Education departments have directed higher secondary schools and degree colleges to mandatorily collect anti-ragging undertaking from each student and his/her guardian during admission and publicise anti-ragging helplines on the campuses.
School and Mass Education Minister Sameer Ranjan Dash said the Supreme Court’s guidelines on ragging prevention are in place on campuses of higher secondary schools including composite campuses (having Plus II and Plus III together) and appealed to victims to report the cases immediately instead of remaining quiet fearing backlash from the accused.