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Prime accused in Assam’s Dibrugarh University ragging case surrenders before police
Rahul Chetry, the prime accused in the Dibrugarh University ragging case of November 27, said he had been in hiding because he was afraid that he would be beaten due to the situation created after the incident
SILCHAR: Rahul Chetry, the prime accused in the Dibrugarh University ragging case, surrendered before the Assam police after being on the run for more than a week, police said on Monday.
Chetry surrendered at Lekhapani Police Station in the neighbouring Tinsukia district on Sunday, Dibrugarh superintendent of police (SP) Shwetank Mishra said on Monday. Mishra said Chetry was the prime accused in two cases registered in connection with ragging and an attempt by a post-graduate student to die by suicide.
“He was the prime suspect in our investigation too. Apart from the accused named in FIRs, we have found more students involved in it. So far seven accused have been arrested in this case,” the SP said.
Chetry was an LLB third-semester student of JB Law College in Guwahati and was among those expelled for his alleged involvement in the ragging case.
Chetry, however, insisted that he was innocent and he hoped the student who jumped off the second floor of the hostel would recover fast. “This was an unfortunate incident… I had to hide because I was afraid that I would be beaten if I came to public places because such a situation was created after the incident,” he said.
“I was portrayed as a notorious criminal in the media and some people even connected my name with ULFA (banned group United Liberation Front of Asom). I have surrendered before the police and will cooperate with them in the investigation. I am optimistic that the investigation will be unbiased and the truth will come out,” he added.
Doctors said the post-graduate student was admitted with a vertebral fracture on November 27 and was operated on four days later. His family said he was still traumatised by the ragging that led him to attempt suicide.
Four students have been rusticated for three years by the university and another 18 expelled for their alleged involvement in the case. Three wardens of the ‘Padmanath Gohain Baruah Chatra Nivas’ (PNGBCN hostel) have also been suspended.
A magisterial inquiry was ordered into the case after the intervention of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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