Juniors ragged at gun-point: NHRC notice to M.P.

DGP
J. Balaji Bhopal Police uncooperative

Seniors allegedly thrashed students of Bhopal Institute of Technology College Juniors had hinted to police beforehand; Cops registered simple assault case

NEW DELHI: In another bizarre incident, senior students of the Bhopal Institute of Technology College, Bhopal, are alleged to have ragged their juniors at gun-point as they refused to attend a party, and now the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Madhya Pradesh Education Secretary and the Director-General of Police (DGP) seeking reports on the issue within four weeks. Police apathy Though the juniors had brought the incident to the notice of the local police station in advance, the cops did not act. And following the incident, wherein the juniors were beaten up brutally by their seniors, the police registered a simple case of assault. Guidelines violated The Commission wanted the two officers to send the report with details of the incident and fix lapses, if any, on the part of the college authorities and the police officers concerned in preventing such ragging incidents which were a serious violation of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the University Grants Commission on curbing ragging in higher educational institutions. Suo motu cognisance The NHRC acted suo motu based on media reports about the incident that took place on the night of May 16. The report stated that some senior students of BIT College took the junior students from their residence in Sant Asha Ram Nagar, Bhopal, to BHEL Sangam Colony at gunpoint and beat them up. They did so as the juniors refused to attend a party.