Rahul Chetry, the prime accused in the ragging incident of Dibrugarh University student Anand Sharma surrendered at the Lekhapani Police Station in Tinsukia district on Monday morning. He will be brought to the Dibrugarh police station. Earlier six students have been arrested by the police in connection with the ragging incident.
On November 27, Anand Sharma, a first semester M Com student of Dibrugarh University was critically injured after he jumped from the second floor of his hostel to escape brutal ragging by his seniors. His mother Sarita Sharma had filed an FIR at the Dibrugarh police station against 5 students including an ex-student of the university of brutally torturing her son leading to the incident. The FIR named five students namely Rahul Chetry (ex-student and former general secretary of Dibrugarh University), Dibyajyoti Gogoi, Subhrajyoti Baruah, Niranjan Thakur and Kalyan Dutta and “several others”. Though only five students were personally named in the FIR, during police investigation it came to light that several other senior students were also involved in the ragging incident.
The accused students have been booked under section 120B (criminal conspiracy), 341 (wrongful restraint), 307 (abetment of suicide) and 143 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC.
On December 3, Dibrugarh police had arrested Kalyan Dutta, a 3rd semester student of the History department who was absconding since November 27 from Rajabheta area of Dibrugarh while he was on the way to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court to surrender. Earlier on November 28, the police had arrested Niranjan Thakur, Simanta Hazarika and Pranjit Boruah from the hostel after the ragging case first came to light. Police said that though the names of Simanta Hazarika and Pranjit Boruah were not mentioned in the FIR, their involvement in the ragging incident was found during investigation leading to their arrest. On the night of November 29, another student named in the FIR Subhrajyoti Baruah was arrested by the police from Tingkhong area of Dibrugarh while hiding in the house of a local leader of the Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, the student wing of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS). The next arrest made by the police was that of Dibyajyoti Gogoi who was arrested from the premises of the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Dibrugarh on December 1.
Dibrugarh University Registrar Paramananda Sonowal said that the Dibrugarh University Anti Ragging Committee (ARC) has applied for permission at the CJM Court to allow 2 members for taking the hearing (statement) of the six accused students who have been arrested and are currently lodged in jail. Permission has been sought for Law Officer of Dibrugarh University Devraj Sharma and Inspector of Colleges and member of Anti Ragging Committee Rupam Saikia.
On November 28, Dibrugarh University had expelled 18 students from the Padma Nath Gohain Baruah Chatra Nivas (PNGB hostel) for their involvement in the ragging case while three others (who were arrested by the police on November 28) were temporarily suspended from attending classes till the completion of enquiry. On November 30 the Dibrugarh University Anti-Ragging Committee called an emergency meeting where four students among the 18 students who were earlier expelled from the hostel on November 28 were expelled from Dibrugarh University for a period of three years. They were also debarred from taking admission in any institution for a period of three years. Three wardens of the PNGB hostel were also suspended by the University authorities for dereliction of duty.
Meanwhile a magisterial enquiry into the Dibrugarh University ragging case is being conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Sanghamitra Baruah. The deposition of witnesses is being taken at the deputy commissioner’s office from November 30 and will continue till December 5 from 11am to 4pm everyday.
