Three students have been arrested, while an FIR has been filed against at least 20 others in a case involving the ragging of first-year students at a private college in Karnataka's Bengaluru, police said on Friday. The three arrested students were sent to judicial custody, while notices were sent to 29 students and one person who is not enrolled at the college but was named in the first information report, they added.
The juniors have reportedly alleged that the seniors forced them to follow orders, including bringing cigarettes, and also assaulted them using iron rods and wooden sticks.
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Juniors forced to fetch cigarettes, assaulted using iron rods
Senior police officers familiar with the case said the issue came to light after a senior administrator at the Aakash Group of Institutions in Devanahalli filed a complaint on January 16 about an alleged incident that took place over the previous two days, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
The complaint said that the accused allegedly ragged first-year students on the campus on January 14 and made them follow their instructions, including fetching cigarettes and drinks and carrying their books. This led to a formal warning from the administration.
{{/usCountry}}The complaint said that the accused allegedly ragged first-year students on the campus on January 14 and made them follow their instructions, including fetching cigarettes and drinks and carrying their books. This led to a formal warning from the administration.
{{/usCountry}}Despite the formal warning, the ragging allegedly continued. The seniors also attacked junior students using iron rods, stones and wooden sticks during the incident. One of the accused also took a gold chain belonging to one of the students, police were quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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Ragging continued despite warning
The situation worsened on January 15 when two junior students reportedly declined to follow the seniors’ demands and were assaulted, according to the police. “The victims are minors. Despite repeated instructions from the management, the ragging continued unabated,” an officer told HT.
The complainant also claimed that the accused attacked him and several staff members after they tried to step in and calm the situation.
Police said the accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Karnataka Education Act, adding that further investigation is underway, according to PTI.