13 engineering students suspended

Visakhapatnam: In all, 13 engineering students of Andhra University College were suspended for six months for ragging their juniors here on Tuesday.

The incident took place last Wednesday and it was repeated again on Thursday but it came to light on Monday after someone among the seniors reported the incident to college authorities.

According to some of the hostellers, senior students in the men’s hostel (Block-I) of the college reportedly forced some of their juniors to take off their shirts and paraded them half-naked.

When The Hans India spoke to some of the students they disclosed that ragging was still prevalent in the college hostels, but not in the classrooms. Hence, ragging could not be ruled out.

While an engineering student on condition of anonymity said that the newcomers were forced to write notes for the seniors and that led to arguments. But the college authorities, after conducting a probe into the incident ruled out that ragging did not took place on the hostel premises.

Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao expressing concern over ragging incidents taking place despite conducting awareness programme, he said here on Tuesday that a Special Committee would be set up to study the behaviour of the students and curb ragging in colleges and universities.

The committee will be asked to chalk out a strategy to stop ragging in the educational institutes across the state, he added.