Four days after an FIR was registered in the matter, a high-level fact-finding committee constituted by the Himachal Pradesh government reportedly visited the college on 5 January to probe the death of a 19-year-old Dalit student.
In the FIR, registered at Dharamshala Police Station, the victim’s father, Vikram Kumar, accused three students of Government College Dharamshala of brutally ragging his daughter on 18 September last year. He also accused an assistant professor of sexually harassing his daughter.
The police have booked the assistant professor Ashok Kumar under Section 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and four students—Harshita, Aakriti, Komolika and Gouri— for ragging under Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009. The state government suspended the assistant professor, who immediately denied the allegations and secured anticipatory bail on 3 January.
"The college administration should feel ashamed. My daughter called me from college and told me that a few students had beaten her. When we brought her home, she was in a state of panic. She had been beaten very badly and harassed to such an extent that she went into depression. She died in Ludhiana while receiving treatment. I want justice,” Vikram Kumar told media persons on 2 January.
The case has come to light nearly 17 years after the Aman Kachroo tragedy, which had not only shaken Himachal Pradesh but also led to nation-wide outrage and intervention from lawmakers as well as the judiciary. Kachroo, a 19-year-old medical student at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Dharamshala had died of brain haemorrhage after being subjected to violent ragging by his seniors.
In the FIR, a copy of which was accessed by The Quint, the victim’s father Vikram narrated harrowing details of what she endured and her treatment in seven hospitals, before succumbing to her injuries and mental distress on 26 December:
'They Put a Knife to Her Throat; Threatened, Thrashed Her'
The victim, a resident of Tapovan in Dharamshala, was a second-year student pursuing Bachelor of Arts degree from the Government College, Dharamshala. On 18 September, at around 3pm, she allegedly called her father, sobbing, and said that three students—Harshita, Aakriti and Kamolika— had thrashed her. After this, her family brought her home and inquired further.
“They put a knife to my throat, threatened me, chased me and then thrashed me badly,” she had allegedly told her father. She kept crying the whole night and then caught a fever. The next day, Vikram claimed in the FIR, she did not want to go back to college and insisted on doing a computer course from elsewhere. He heeded her plea and took her to a computer training centre but when she returned home that day, she started saying strange things.
“Papa, they are going to kill me,” she allegedly told her father, panicking. Vikram claimed that they tried to pacify her but when there was no improvement in her condition, he took her to their family doctor on 21 September.
However, her health continued to deteriorate and Vikram claimed he took her to seven hospitals in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab for treatment.
'Prof Kumar Behaved Inappropriately'
It was during her treatment at a private hospital in Pathankot, Punjab that the victim revealed being sexually harassed by assistant professor Ashok Kumar, Vikram claimed in the FIR.
“When a nurse asked her about the incident which led to her condition, she said that - Ashok sir was a bad person; he kept hounding me, he behaved inappropriately, and touched me on my chest and private parts,” the father alleged. He claimed that he learnt this from a video recorded by the hospital attendant.
After the assistant professor was suspended, he denied these allegations. He told media persons, “With 26.5 years of teaching experience and countless students, I have never faced such accusations before. I accept the suspension as it allows for an impartial investigation. I will cooperate fully." He added that he was prepared to face the consequences if found guilty.
Police, UGC Initiate Probe; College Says Victim Didn't Take Admission
Months later, even as she was undergoing treatment, the victim allegedly told a relative, “Once, Kamolika had hit a bottle on my head. She didn’t let me study. She would create problems for me.” Vikram claimed that another student, Gouri used to mislead her, while the other three used to humiliate and torment his daughter. He alleged that once, Harshita forcefully cut her hair.
After the victim’s health deteriorated rapidly, she was moved to Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana on 26 December, where she died during treatment.
In a press release, the police said that the investigation is ongoing and that all relevant evidence, including medical records, video clips and statements of witnesses, is being systematically collected. The police added that the investigation team has already reached Ludhiana to obtain the complete treatment records and to record statements of the medical professionals who treated the victim. “The statement of the victim’s father is also proposed to be recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, so as to ensure that all aspects of the matter are thoroughly and impartially examined,” it read.
Meanwhile, the central regulatory body for higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC), took sub-motu cognisance of the issue on 3 January and formed a fact-finding committee, separate from the one formed by the state’s Directorate of Higher Education.
However, the college principal Rakesh Pathania told The Print that the victim did not take admission for the second year, and that she last came to the college in July. He added that the three students accused of ragging earlier belong to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
The Quint has reached out to Government College, Dharamshala and will update the story once they respond.