A Dharamshala college student died after allegedly facing sexual harassment and brutal ragging by seniors and a professor, as revealed in a video recorded before her death. Police have registered an FIR against three students and a professor under BNS and anti-ragging laws.
Three female students and a college professor have been booked by the police in connection with a ragging and sexual harassment case after a second-year student died in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The case came to light after the student recorded a mobile video before her death, in which she spoke about the harassment she faced inside the college.
According to the police, the student was studying at Government Degree College, Dharamshala. In the video, she described how a professor allegedly touched her inappropriately and mentally harassed her. She also spoke about severe ragging by senior students, which caused her immense mental stress.
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The student’s father filed a police complaint stating that on September 18, three female students named Harshita, Akriti, and Komolika allegedly assaulted his daughter as part of brutal ragging. He said that the students threatened her and warned her to stay silent about the incident.
The complaint also named a professor, Ashok Kumar, accusing him of indecent behaviour and mental harassment.
The father alleged that his daughter remained under constant stress because of the professor’s alleged actions. According to the complaint, her mental condition worsened over time, leading to serious health problems.
The family said she was taken to multiple hospitals for treatment before she finally passed away on December 26 at DMC Hospital in Ludhiana.
The complainant further stated that the family later came across a video recorded by the victim before her death, in which she allegedly narrated the harassment and misconduct she faced on campus.
Based on the contents of the video and subsequent revelations, the police expanded the scope of the investigation to include allegations of sexual misconduct and institutional lapses.
Authorities have said that statements of witnesses will be recorded and medical records from all hospitals where the student was treated will be examined as part of the ongoing probe.
The family explained that they were unable to file a complaint immediately due to the shock of losing their daughter. They decided to approach the police only after they found the video recording she made before her death.
In the video, the student accused the professor of touching her inappropriately and mentally harassing her both in the classroom and on the college campus. She also claimed that when she raised objections, the accused threatened her and asked her to remain quiet.
The father further said that he had already submitted a complaint to the police and also contacted the chief minister’s helpline on December 20, but no action was taken at that time.
Confirming the registration of the case, police officer Ashok Rattan said that an FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009.
He stated that initially the investigation was focused only on ragging, as that was mentioned in the December 20 complaint. However, after serious allegations against the professor surfaced, the scope of the investigation was expanded.
The police will now also examine medical records and treatment details from all hospitals where the student was admitted before her death.
Meanwhile, the college administration has denied any wrongdoing and has distanced itself from the incident. The college claimed that the student was academically ineligible to study in the second year as she had failed her first-year examinations.
College principal Rakesh Pathania said the student had failed three subjects in her first year and was therefore not eligible for promotion under university rules.
According to him, the student wanted admission to the second year despite failing. He said she had approached a geography professor, who explained the rules to her.
The principal said,
“She approached the professor who teaches geography, her main subject, and it was explained to her that she had to take admission to the first year again. So, she was also depressed because of her results and felt we were deliberately denying her admission in the second year. Based on the information given to me by teachers, she has not attended classes since July 29,”
The principal further stated that the college tried to contact the student’s parents after she stopped attending classes, but they did not receive any response.
He explained,
“We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to ragging. Students are encouraged to approach teachers on the ragging committee and there are several women teachers she could have complained to, but she did not. The college did not receive any such complaint. Another complaint to the chief minister’s helpline in December did not reach us because the name of another college was mentioned. We are cooperating with the police,”
Regarding the allegations against the professor, the principal said he would not comment further and that the matter should be decided through investigation.
He added,
“Harassment allegations are also being made. The professor in question has been teaching for years and I don’t want to say more about this because it is for the police to investigate,”
The police have stated that all allegations, including ragging, sexual harassment, medical negligence, and institutional responsibility, will be examined thoroughly as part of the ongoing investigation.
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