Engineering students allege harassment by college director

Students of a private engineering college in Ghaziabad have lodged a complaint against the college director and four other officials, accusing them of harassment and caste-based discrimination.

Students of a private engineering college in Ghaziabad have lodged a complaint against the college director and four other officials, accusing them of harassment and caste-based discrimination.

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The college authorities were also accused of pressurising the students to shave their heads in exchange of their examination admit cards, police said.

Around 400 students staged protests at the college campus at Dasna area near NH-24 on Thursday and demanded the resignation of the college director. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raghubir Lal, who reached the college on Thursday to pacify the protestors, ordered an inquiry by a sub-divisional magistrate and a circle officer.

Students alleged that the director didn’t hand over the admit cards for the last semester examinations in December, 2010. “Around 57 students were told to get their heads shaved before issuing them their admit cards. Even though the students obeyed the orders, as many as 27 students didn’t get their admit cards as a result of which they were not allowed to appear in the exams. Others were allowed,” said a student.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, college director Prabal Kumar Chakravorty denied the allegations and said admit cards were not issued to 27 students since they fell short of maintaining 75% attendance criteria. “Shaving your head or having short hair is a personal choice. No one from the college ever pressurised them to do this. It is our duty to inform their parents if their child was attending classes. No one was ever harassed or pressurised,” Chakravorty said.

The SSP said an FIR against Chakravorty and four other unidentified college officials was lodged at the Masoori police station under sections 147, 504 and provisions of the SC/ST Act.

“No arrests have been made so far. Administration and police officials are conducting inquiries into the incident before arriving at a conclusion,” Lal said.