Five students booked for ragging, assault at Solan residential school

Police have registered a case against five senior students of Dagshai-based residential school in Himachal’s Solan district for allegedly assaulting a Class 9 student and subjecting junior students to ragging, intimidation and abusive behaviour, officials said on Monday

Police have registered a case against five senior students of Dagshai-based residential school in Himachal’s Solan district for allegedly assaulting a Class 9 student and subjecting junior students to ragging, intimidation and abusive behaviour, officials said on Monday.

Police have registered a case against five senior students of Dagshai-based residential school in Himachal’s Solan district for allegedly assaulting a Class 9 student and subjecting junior students to ragging, intimidation and abusive behaviour, officials said on Monday. (Representational image)

According to police, the FIR was registered at Dharampur police station on the basis of a complaint.

The complainants alleged that on September 5, the five senior students forcibly dragged a Class 9 student out of his hostel room and assaulted him. “The accused students had allegedly been subjecting junior students to ragging, intimidation, physical assault and abusive language for the past four months and were also stated to be carrying weapons. The students are stated to be frightened and under severe mental stress,” Solan police said.

Police registered the case under Section 3(2) of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009, and Sections 115(2), 351(2)(3), 352, 126(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police said that further investigation is being conducted by sub-inspector Rajesh Kumar, in-charge of Dagshai police post.

Amritsar : The jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, on Monday condemned the incident of ragging with a Sikh student at a boarding school in Solan district.

He said it was unfortunate that fellow students at the school subjected a Sikh student to such an act, adding that the school administration has the full responsibility to prevent such incidents. He said no child should ever be subjected to such behaviour.

Gargaj said he had spoken to the victim student and his family and assured them that the Akal Takht stood firmly with the family.

He said a video of the incident had surfaced on social media and, respecting the wishes of the family, asked all media organisations and web channels not to publish or circulate the viral video on their platforms or disclose the student’s identity, as the matter concerns his future.

He said that following a complaint by the victim student’s family members, the Himachal Pradesh Police have registered a case under stringent provisions against those accused of ragging and initiated action. However, he said, the role of the school administration and principal in the incident had not been “responsible and appropriate”.

He said the student’s parents are making complaints against the principal. Therefore, after speaking to the school administration, the jathedar asked it to replace the principal, who had “failed” to maintain discipline among the students. He said the school administration has assured him that the principal would be replaced within a week.