Himachal Pradesh’s ragging-linked death
Shimla, Jan 3: As outrage mounted over the death of a 19-year-old Dalit student, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday suspended an assistant professor booked on charges of sexually harassing her and announced an inquiry into allegations, including those of ragging and cast related abuse of the victim, while the University Grants Commission also set up a fact-finding committee.
The accused, Assistant Professor (Geography) Ashok Sharma of Government College, Dharamshala, in Kangra district, denied the allegations. Police said he was being questioned.
Taking serious note of the case, the National Commission for Women said it highlights the “serious failure of the security mechanism in educational campuses” and directed the state Director General of Police to ensure immediate arrest of all the accused, fair and time-bound investigation, preservation of post-mortem and medical records and strict action under the various laws.
Kangra police said the investigation in the case, registered on the complaint of the deceased girl’s father, is being conducted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dharamshala, and all relevant evidence, including medical records, video clips and statements of witnesses, are being collected.
The police said that according to the college administration, they did not receive any written complaint regarding ragging.
A case of sexual harassment under section 75 of BNS was registered against Ashok Sharma, while three female students were booked for voluntarily causing hurt and common intention under section 115(2) and 3(5) of BNS besides Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institution (Prohibition of) Ragging Act 2009 on Thursday (January 1).
The order of the assistant professor’s suspension came hours after the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu promised strict action in the matter.
According to an order issued by Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar, Assistant Professor Askok Kumar was placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the departmental inquiry “in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-rule (1) of Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965”.
According to the reports appearing in the electronic and print media, the prima facie involvement of Ashok Kumar cannot be ruled out, and in order to ascertain the facts, disciplinary proceedings against him are contemplated, the order said.
A four-member committee headed by Additional Director Higher Education Harish Kumar, with principals of Dhaliara, Baijnath and Naura government colleges as its members, has been constituted to conduct a fact-finding/preliminary inquiry into the death of the student.
The committee would submit a comprehensive report in three days covering all aspects and angles of alleged harassment, sexual assault, ragging and caste related comments by the teachers and the students of the colleges, Director of Higher Education Amarjeet Sharma said.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) also set up a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the death of the student after the UGC Anti-Ragging Helpline registered a suo-motu complaint.
Asserting that student safety is paramount, a senior UGC official said that a serious note of the incident has been taken and the culprits will not be spared. (PTI)
