College panel says no ragging behind law student's suicide

The fact-finding committee appointed by Deccan Education Society's (DES) Fergusson Law College in Pune to go into the allegations of ragging of a student, who committed suicide on January 25, has concluded that there was no such incident involving the deceased when he stayed in the hostel.

Even as college authorities submitted their report to vice chancellor of Pune University and Maharashtra government's higher education department denying charges of ragging levelled by parents of the student — Prashant Chitlkar, police today said investigations into the case would continue on the basis the FIR filed at Rahuri in Ahmednagar district where Prashant ended his life jumping into a well.

The second-year law student at the college who was inmate of the hostel had taken the extreme step after going back to his home town of Rahuri, allegedly due to torture he suffered at the hands of his seniors.

According to DES authorities, the three-member committee headed by the college principal Rohini Honap, came to the conclusion that the student had not made any complaint to teachers, the hostel rector or his classmates and roommates
regarding ragging or even teasing of any kind during his stay on the premises.

"We will, however, continue to cooperate with police in their investigations", a DES spokesman added. Police were still on the look out for the four students in the college mentioned in the complaint for the alleged ragging as they absconded after their names were publicised by media.

The student's suicide had caused a flutter in educational insitutions in the city prompting Maharashtra government to set up a high power committee to suggest stringent anti-ragging measures to be headed by the state governor.