From a first-year student being made to run naked, labelled as “gay” and sexually abused before his death, to hostel superintendents “fearing” for their safety — an internal committee of Jadavpur University has in its report pointed to a culture of ragging on the campus of the premier university.
The 17-year-old student died hours after allegedly falling off the balcony of his second-floor hostel room on August 9.
The committee has identified 35 senior students and six “alumni/unauthorised boarders” who were allegedly “involved in ragging” the victim at the varsity’s main hostel. It also identified four senior students and six former students as the “main raggers”.
According to the committee report, on the evening of August 9, the victim was ragged “in isolation” by a group of seniors and ex-students and was “abused sexually and…labelled as gay”.
“At around 7.30 pm, victim was taken to [a] room along with a few other ‘freshers’ by a seniors, where the ‘freshers’ were forced to shout highly objectionable, sexist, and abusive lines directed towards female residents of the adjacent police quarters,” the report noted.
The victim was initially reluctant to utter the abusive language but was forced to do so several times as an extra punishment, the committee reported. The victim appeared “shattered”, it stated.
“The next session of ragging took place…between 9 pm and 10.45 pm, where victim was insisted upon [coerced] to put his signature in a complaint letter addressed to Dean of Student…. Later all boarders were called for a GB (general body) meeting… the victim was told to stay in the hostel,” the panel reported.
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The victim was apparently singled out for “severe ragging” that was carried out in a systematic and planned manner, and removed from the rest of his batchmates, the committee stated.
The report stated: “…At past 11.30 pm, one of the depositors (deponents) reported to have heard a loud cry out (for help) by a person from the second floor of A-2 block. One of the boarders…reported to have seen victim running in a completely naked state, and trying to enter the toilet…and then rushing into room no. 65. Even as victim tried to close the door, other seniors pushed [it] open and pulled him out.”
“(The) victim, reportedly again started running desperately in the corridor…completely naked…in the presence of a mob of around 20…”
“Information regarding (the) victim’s subsequent movements, just prior to his fatal fall, and eventual fall, is rather uncertain and vague,” the report stated.
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