E-Paper
Stripped BHU student to get justice
A physically challenged student who was assaulted, stripped and then filmed naked can now expect justice from Benaras Hindu University.
A physically challenged student who was assaulted, stripped and then filmed naked can now expect justice from Benaras Hindu University.
The university authorities had earlier told the student, Rohit Upadhyaya (name changed), that no action could be taken against the offenders because the incident took place long ago, in October last year.
The investigation was speeded up only after Vice-Chancellor D.P. Singh intervened on Wednesday by asking officials, particularly the head and dean of the faculty of commerce, B. Jha, to take action. However, some university functionaries claimed on Thursday that the matter had been amicably settled.
The culprits were Upadhyaya’s batchmates and seniors. The incident took place on October 13, 2009, in Varanasi.
The 45-minute video clip was circulated among students of the university on the mobile phone, forcing B.Com second-year student Upadhyaya to flee to his native place in Buxar district, Bihar.
Upadhyaya, who had lost an academic year for not attending classes (due to his absence from the university), reported the episode to Jha in March this year. Jha told him that nothing could be done because the matter was old, and that he should prepare to repeat a year.
Upon resuming classes, Upadhyaya alleged that two of his batchmates, Mohit Shukla and Grijesh Tiwari, began ill-treating him again.
He complained to Jha again, sending copies of the letter to the chief procter and the chairman of the BHU anti-ragging squad. It is after this that the BHU authorities got into action.
