Ragging case: University hostel warden booked for negligence

Negligence on the part of a hostel warden of Bahra University has been reported in the September 7 ragging case of a first-year MBA student, who was thrashed by five seniors and forced to consume alcohol.

The Kandaghat police had served a notice on hostel warden Puran Chand on September 21 and asked him to join the investigation.

“During the investigation, it was found that the guidelines for maintaining discipline in the hostel, including the responsibilities of the hostel warden, were not being followed strictly by the university management. The ragging incident took place on the university campus due to negligence on the part of hostel warden Puran Chand,” Solan SP Gaurav Singh said.

During the investigation, it was found that on September 7, Puran Chand was on duty in Hostel No. 1, where the incident took place.

“He failed to keep an eye on the activities of the hostellers and was negligent in discharging his duties. Though he claimed that all was fine till 10:30 pm when he took attendance of the hostellers, it was surprising that he failed to act from 11 pm to 9 am when the MBA student was confined to a room by his seniors and thrashed during the intervening night of September 7 and 8,” the SP added.

Even after coming to know of the incident in the morning, the hostel warden merely sent a list of the erring students to the university director and failed to initiate any action.

The hostel lacked any decorum pertaining to an educational institution as liquor was being openly consumed and students allegedly slipped out at night to purchase liquor, the police officer said.

Due to his negligence, a legal action had been taken against Puran Chand, a resident of Arki tehsil, under Section 4 of the HP Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009, and Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nayaya Suraksha Sanhita and further probe was under way, the SP said.

Bahra University Registrar Vineet Kumar said following the incident, efforts were being made to ensure that liquor consumption was curbed on the campus by conducting surprise checks.

The liquor consumption was banned on the campus and offenders were punished, he said, adding that efforts were being to step up security on the campus by plugging porous routes.