Himachal Pradesh: Student dies after sexual assault at Dharamshala college, professor among 4 accused

Dharamshala: Three female students and a professor have been charged with ragging and sexual assault after a second-year student died in a college in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala.

What does the police say?

According to the police, the student recorded a mobile video detailing her ordeal before she died. She spoke about how the professor touched her inappropriately and several other instances of mental and sexual harassment.

What was the incident?

The father of the second-year student of Dharamshala's Government Degree College, in a police complaint alleged that on September 18, three female students identified as Harshita, Akriti, and Komolika allegedly assaulted his daughter in an act of brutal ragging and threatened her to keep her silence.

The complaint also named Ashok Kumar, a professor in the college, as one of the accused.

What does the victim’s family say?

The father of the student who died said his daughter suffered from high stress due to the professor's alleged indecent behaviour and mental harassment. This led to her health deteriorating continuously, the complaint said.

Her family said she was treated at various hospitals before she died on December 26 while undergoing treatment in Ludhiana's DMC Hospital. The family said they could not file a complaint earlier due to the shock they suffered on the death of their daughter.

They said they decided to file the complaint after their daughter recorded a video in a mobile phone before she died. In the video, she accused the professor of inappropriate behaviour like touching her, and mental harassment in the classroom and on the campus.

The student alleged the accused threatened her to keep quiet when she protested.

The father said he filed a complaint with the police and the chief minister's helpline on December 20, but they did not respond.

What action has the police taken?

“The police have filed a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009,” police officer Ashok Rattan told the media.

The police said they had been investigating the ragging angle since the complaint filed on December 20 mentioned only that. However, the investigation has expanded after the allegations against the professor surfaced, the police said. 

The police added that the probe will look into all the hospitals where the student was admitted before she died.

How has the college administration reacted?

The college administration has distanced itself from the case. It said the woman failed in her first year, yet sought admission to the second year. College principal Rakesh Pathania alleged she had not filed any complaint with them earlier. Pathania said the teenager had failed three subjects in her first year and, as per university guidelines, could not be promoted to the second year. 

"She approached the professor who teaches geography, her main subject, and it was explained to her that she had to take admission to the first year again. So, she was also depressed because of her results and felt we were deliberately denying her admission in the second year. Based on the information given to me by teachers, she has not attended classes since July 29," the principal told the media.

Pathania asserted that the college authorities tried to call the teenager's parents after this, but got no response. 

"We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to ragging. Students are encouraged to approach teachers on the ragging committee and there are several women teachers she could have complained to, but she did not. The college did not receive any such complaint. Another complaint to the chief minister's helpline in December did not reach us because the name of another college was mentioned. We are cooperating with the police," he explained.

"Harassment allegations are also being made. The professor in question has been teaching for years and I don't want to say more about this because it is for the police to investigate," he added.

What steps has the UGC taken?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken serious cognisance of the student's death, and formed a fact-finding committee to examine the circumstances leading to the incident.

In its statement, the UGC said the fact-finding committee will review the sequence of events, examine whether existing anti-ragging and grievance redressal mechanisms were adequately implemented by the institution, and assess any institutional lapses.

The panel is expected to submit recommendations aimed at ensuring accountability and preventing similar incidents in the future. The higher education regulator said stringent action will be taken against those found responsible, reiterating that the safety and well-being of students is paramount.