'Ragging' victim commits suicide in Himachal

Shimla, Aug 31: Five years after the death of medical student Aman Kachroo due to ragging in Himachal Pradesh, police Saturday registered a suicide case after the death of a student of a private polytechnic college allegedly due to harassment by seniors.

The victim was a first year civil engineering diploma student of Gautam Polytechnic College in Hamirpur town, who allegedly committed suicide after being harassed by two of his seniors.

Assistant superintendent of police Shamsher Singh said that a case was registered against the college authorities and two students.

The victim Amit Kumar, 21, of Palampur in Kangra district committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his rented accommodation on Thursday night, said police.

He had been in a disturbed state of mind for quite some time after he was threatened by his seniors.

Amit, who got admission last month, was alone in the room as his roommate had gone home that night. His parents got to know about his death in the morning when Amit did not respond to their phone calls, said a police official.

Deep Chand, the victim's father who lodged a complaint with the police, alleged that the college authorities did not take any action against ragging even after his son had brought to their notice two days before his death that some seniors were threatening him.

"My son was in trauma and college authorities took his complaint lightly," he told reporters.

Chand said his son had also mentioned the mobile phone numbers of the students who were threatening him. He had not been attending classes due to the fear of being ragged.

College principal Rajneesh Gautam confirmed that the victim had made a complaint in writing and had alleged that some senior students were harassing him.

"We had assured him of action against the culprits but we never expected that Amit would take such an extreme step," he said.

This was the second ragging death in Himachal Pradesh after the death of medical student Aman Kachroo, 19, of Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital in Tanda town of Kangra district.

He died on March 8, 2009 after he was ragged by four drunk seniors who were convicted by a trial court in Dharamsala Nov 11, 2010.

They spent three years and five months in jail before the state government waived their remaining seven-month jail term in August 2012.

After the death of Kachroo, the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009, made ragging a cognisable and non-bailable offence.

Students caught ragging will not only be expelled and be ineligible for admission to any other institution for three years, but may also be jailed and fined Rs 50,000.