Dharamshala: A deeply disturbing case has emerged from a government degree college in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala, where police have booked three female students and a college professor on charges of ragging, sexual assault and mental harassment following the death of a second-year student.
According to the police, the student recorded a video on her mobile phone before her death, detailing the trauma she allegedly endured on campus. In the video, she accused a professor of inappropriate physical contact, repeated mental harassment, and intimidating behaviour both inside the classroom and within the college premises. She also spoke about severe ragging by fellow students and claimed she was threatened with consequences if she raised her voice.
The case came to light after the student’s father lodged a formal complaint, stating that his daughter had been subjected to brutal ragging on September 18 by three female students, identified as Harshita, Akriti and Komolika. He alleged that they physically assaulted her and warned her against reporting the incident. The complaint also named Ashok Kumar, a professor at the college, accusing him of indecent behaviour and sustained mental harassment.
The father told the police that the alleged actions of the professor caused extreme psychological stress to his daughter, leading to a steady decline in her health. The family said she was taken to several hospitals for treatment before she ultimately died on December 26 while undergoing treatment at DMC Hospital in Ludhiana.
The family explained that they were initially unable to approach the authorities due to the shock and trauma following her death. They decided to pursue legal action after discovering the video recorded by their daughter shortly before she passed away, in which she described the alleged harassment in detail and named those responsible.
The student also claimed in the video that when she objected to the professor’s behaviour, she was threatened and pressured to remain silent. Her father further alleged that he had attempted to seek help earlier by submitting a complaint to the police and the Chief Minister’s helpline on December 20, but received no response.
Confirming the development, police officer Ashok Rattan said that a case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009. He said the police were initially probing the case from the angle of ragging, as mentioned in the December 20 complaint, but the investigation has now widened after serious allegations of sexual harassment against the professor surfaced.
The police have stated that the investigation will examine the student’s medical history in detail, including records from all hospitals where she was treated prior to her death, to establish the sequence of events and the impact of the alleged harassment on her health.
Meanwhile, the college administration has sought to distance itself from the controversy. College principal Rakesh Pathania claimed that the student had failed her first year examinations and had sought admission to the second year. He also stated that no formal complaint regarding ragging or harassment was submitted to the college authorities during her time on campus.
The case has sent shockwaves across the state, raising serious questions about campus safety, accountability of educational institutions, and the effectiveness of grievance redressal mechanisms meant to protect students from harassment and abuse.
