UGC takes cognisance of Himachal ragging case, orders fact-finding probe

A pall of grief and outrage hangs over Dharamshala after the death of a 19-year-old college student, an incident that has now drawn the attention of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and exposed disturbing allegations of ragging, sexual harassment and institutional apathy.

Taking serious cognisance of the case, the UGC has constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the circumstances that led to the student’s death on 26 December, after she fell ill, allegedly following ragging by fellow students and sexual harassment by a professor. In a statement, the commission said it would leave no stone unturned.

“The University Grants Commission has taken serious cognisance of the tragic incident at a Dharamshala college. A fact-finding committee will be constituted. Culprits will not be spared and stringent action will follow. Student safety is paramount,” it said.

The case has already led to criminal action on multiple fronts. Four students of a government college in Dharamshala have been booked on charges of ragging, while a professor of the same institution has been named in a separate case of sexually harassing the young woman, who later succumbed to her illness.

The tragedy has also prompted intervention by the Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes Commission, which has sought a detailed report into the matter. Commission chairman Kuldeep Kumar Dhiman said the incident had been brought to its notice and warned that any form of discrimination would not be tolerated.

Public anger has mounted as troubling questions emerge over the role of the college administration and the police. Adding to the controversy, the institution has refused to recognise the deceased as a student for the current academic year, a stance that has deeply distressed the victim’s family and raised doubts about the handling of the case.

The student, associated with Dharamshala Degree College, was allegedly subjected to prolonged ragging, sexual harassment and mental torture. Acting on a complaint filed by her father, Vikram Kumar, police registered an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including provisions related to sexual harassment, voluntarily causing hurt and common intention. The case also invokes the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009.

Vikram Kumar has further alleged that his daughter faced casteist slurs and severe psychological harassment, deepening the gravity of the case.

As investigations widen and official probes begin, the incident has cast a harsh spotlight on campus safety and accountability, reigniting calls for stricter enforcement of anti-ragging and harassment laws to ensure that educational institutions remain spaces of learning, not fear.

With IANS inputs