JU students ‘punish’ PG2 anti-ragging boy for 5 hours
Times of India | 21 March 2025
123456 Kolkata: More than 15 boarders of Jadavpur University's Main Hostel allegedly confined, mentally harassed, and ‘punished' a second-year postgraduate film studies student for five hours on Tuesday for speaking up against ragging last year. The incident took place in room 25 at A1 Block. Victim Arani Ghose lodged a complaint with the university and the anti-ragging committee on Wednesday.
Some students and boarders against whom the complaint was lodged are "habitual offenders". Among them is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student who was accused of ragging a fresher in 2023 by the JU probe panel and was suspended by the university for four semesters in 2024. But the university could not implement his punishment as he moved high court challenging the university's decision.
Dean of students Rajat Roy acknowledged receiving the plaint. "The anti-ragging squad will begin a probe and the victim's statement will be recorded soon." JU teachers are shocked at the audacity and courage of a section of students who continue to harass other students. Many questioned the role of supers of Main Hostel and also blamed the authorities for not taking any strict action against them. Sources said there was an attempt to cover up this incident as some ex-students and pass-outs visited the campus and hostel to meet this group of students.
"I went to the Main Hostel to meet my friend. After talking for a while, he left for Iftar around 5 pm. I was in the hostel room. After some time, the fourth-year mechanical engineering student and another fourth-year computer science engineering student arrived with a few other boarders. The mechanical engineering student started verbally abusing me. He told me how dare I stepped inside the hostel when I had spoken ill about the Main Hostel and said that he would teach me a lesson," said Ghose.
He added, "The mechanical engineering student incited his fellow boarders against me by falsely accusing me of saying that all hostel boys indulge in ragging. But the truth is I did not make any such statement."
The PG2 student shared that the group started threatening him based on his anti-ragging activity on campus and also for a Facebook post he shared in 2024. "Last year in July, I had a confrontation with the mechanical engineering student while I was distributing anti-ragging leaflets near the Tequip building where freshers were coming for document verifications. I found the ragging accused students interacting with them and lodged a complaint with the authority. I made a social media post on this. Now, they are taking revenge and punishing me," he said.
According to the complaint, they forced him to write an apology post on social media. "They repeatedly asked for my phone to read what I wrote, made changes and made me rewrite it. There was a bamboo flute on the bed. The mechanical engineering student was hitting the bed with it, suggesting that it could be used as a weapon against me if needed," Ghose alleged. Meanwhile, more students, who are non-boarders and belong to different engineering streams, hurled abuse at Ghose. "This continued till 10 pm. They read out my writing and after approving it, made me post it on social media. They also threatened me that if I change the post, there will be consequences," he said.