Death of a student due to ragging and sexual harassment in Himachal Pradesh, allegations leveled against three girl students including professor

Dharamshala: A painful incident that came to light from a government degree college located in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh has raised serious questions on the safety of girl students in educational institutions. Following the death of a second year college student, three girl students and a professor have been charged with serious charges of ragging and sexual harassment. This matter has created an atmosphere of anger and concern in the entire state.

Student recorded video before death

The deceased student had recorded a video on her mobile phone before her death, in which she narrated the entire story of the alleged torture that happened to her. In the video, the student alleged that a college professor touched her inappropriately and harassed her mentally and sexually. The student also said that when she protested against this behaviour, she was threatened to remain silent.

Three girl students named on ragging charges

According to the complaint lodged by the student’s father, on September 18, three college students, Harshita, Aakriti and Komolika, allegedly brutally ragged his daughter. It is alleged that during ragging, the student was beaten and intimidated so that she could not tell anyone about it. The father says that after these incidents his daughter was completely broken.

Serious allegations against professor

College professor Ashok Kumar’s name has also been included as an accused in the complaint. The father told that his daughter was under deep stress due to the professor’s alleged abusive behavior and constant mental pressure. Due to this stress, his physical and mental condition continued to deteriorate.

died during treatment

According to the family, the student was admitted to several hospitals before her death. Finally he was taken to DMC Hospital in Ludhiana for treatment, where he died on 26 December. The family says that due to the shock of their daughter’s death, they could not immediately lodge a complaint with the police.

Complaint was made earlier also

The student’s father told that on December 20, he had lodged a complaint with the police and the Chief Minister’s helpline, but no concrete action was taken at that time. When the video surfaced after the daughter’s death, the family decided to raise the whole matter formally.

The scope of police investigation increased

Police officer Ashok Ratan said that a case has been registered under the Indian Justice Code (BNS) and Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009. Earlier there was only mention of ragging in the complaint, but after the allegations against the professor, the scope of investigation has been expanded. The police will now also investigate all those hospitals where the student was admitted.

College administration shrugged off

The college administration has distanced itself from this entire matter and said that the student had failed in the first year and yet was trying to take admission in the second year. College principal Rakesh Pathania claimed that no formal complaint had ever been lodged before by the student or her family.

system under question

This case is not only the story of the tragic death of a student, but also raises big questions on security, complaint mechanism and accountability in college campuses. Now everyone’s eyes are on what truth comes out in the investigation and how strict action is taken against the culprits.