Action taken against 17 BU students for ragging

Berhampur: The Berhampur University has taken action against 17 post-graduate students for allegedly ragging their juniors, officials said on Sunday. Four of the accused students were asked to vacate their hostel rooms, while 13 others were fined Rs 1,000 each, said Vice Chancellor Geetanjali Dash.

The action was taken after an investigation was conducted by the anti-ragging committee into the incident that happened on September 21, she said. In a complaint to the UGC, some first-year post-graduate students alleged that their seniors came to their hostel room about 11 pm on that day, and continued asking them various details in the name of introduction and did not let them sleep. However, they did not name the senior students in the complaint, officials said. The varsity swung into action after the UGC forwarded the complaint. “The UGC had asked the varsity to inquire into the matter and furnish an action taken report. We have already reported the action taken to the UGC,” said the Vice Chancellor.

“We have also sensitised students about the consequences of ragging, and warned them not to indulge in such activities on the campus,” she said. Earlier, authorities at Berhampur University had launched an investigation following complaints from the first-year post-graduate students about being ragged by their seniors in the hostel.

In response to the complaint, the varsity’s anti-ragging committee and Board of Residence convened separate meetings to address the issue. “The anti-ragging committee had been tasked with investigating the allegations,” stated Sukant Kumar Tripathy, acting Vice Chancellor of the university. Additionally, night patrolling on the campus would be intensified, and the anti-ragging squad had been instructed to conduct regular inspections of hostels and other susceptible areas, he had stated.