JU students in trouble for ragging

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 3, 2007

Three students of Jadavpur University have been suspended and two others barred from the hostel for ragging a junior and forcing him to strip.
The victim, a first-year student of international relations department, had accused the seniors of harassing him mentally and physically. The ragging continued over a few days in August and the fresher was made to drink kerosene and stand naked in the university hostel for half an hour.
The student lodged a complaint and the case was handed over to the university’s 14- member anti-ragging committee. After a month long inquiry, five students were found guilty. The committee submitted its report in the Executive Council on Wednesday, prompting action against the five students.
“This boy had given a written complain, acting on which we instituted a full-fledged inquiry and the university has now punished the guilty. Since the degree of involvement of the students was different, they have been awarded different punishments,” said Partha Pratim Biswas, a member of the EC.
Two students, Chittaranjan Burman, a second-year student of civil engineering, and Nilton Baidya, a second-year student of chemical engineering, have been suspended for the next semester starting January and expelled from hostel for life. They will not be allowed to enter the university campus, attend classes, take exams or go to the university hostel during this time. Srimanta Karmakar, a second-year maths student has been expelled from the hostel for life while Kazi Imran Alam, a second-year student of chemical engineering, and Nilanjan Biswas, a second-year student of electronics engineering, have been barred from entering the university hostel for a year.
The punishment fuelled protests by the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students Union (FETSU). Union members gheraoed the EC members till late in the night, demanding that the decision be revoked. “The anti-ragging committee is an undemocratic body. We believe that these five students were not involved in ragging and they have no been given a fair chance to present their case. We want a fair hearing,” FETSU general secretary Amit Chakraborty said.
The faculty expressed shock at the agitation. “We thought the students would support the anti-ragging drive but it is sad to see a students’ union going against it. The anti-ragging committee includes students union’ secretaries from the arts, science and engineering departments. All three students’ representatives were present and put their signatures. How can they avoid responsibility now,” a teacher said.
“The EC’s decision is final and will not be rolled back. Have the protesters thought what would have happened if the university had lodged a police complaint against the five students? It would have meant non-bailable warrants against all of them,” another teacher said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com