FIR registered against 17 for allegedly ragging SC student

Police said that the names of the students and two college wardens have been mentioned as accused in the case, as the complainant alleged that they were harassing, abusing and have been passing comments on the 24-year-old’s caste since December 2018.

Dyaneshwar Chavan, Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region), said that they are yet to make an arrest in the case. The case is registered under relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The complainant, Sugat Bharat Padghan, is from the Hingoli district and had come to Mumbai to complete his post-graduation, police said. He is studying in King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital’s Occupational Therapy School and Center.

In his statement, he has alleged that because he belongs to Scheduled Caste, the students and the wardens would purposely make him clean the floors of the college, make him wash their clothes and utensils and also make him stand on a bench and otherwise.

“He has alleged that the accused named in the FIR would constantly tease him. They would also pass comments on his caste that would make him feel inferior,” said an officer from the Bhoiwada police station.

Elaborating on his complaint further, another officer revealed that the complainant has claimed that everyone in the hostel would dry their clothes on the passage area, but the wardens would only scold him for doing so because he belongs from a lower caste.

“There were a few fellow students, who would call me by my caste in front of others to insult me. I was also threatened with physical violence. One day, one of the students from my hostel room removed his belt to beat me up. They also threatened to throw me from the eighth floor,” the complainant had earlier told The Indian Express.

The student had raised the issue in front of the hospital authorities by filing a complaint on the same after which an in-house committee was formed at the hospital consisting of 10 members, who investigated the allegations. But they overruled all the claims and labelled the matter as a “mere adjustment issue”. After this, the complainant was shifted to another hostel building.

When The Indian Express reached out to the hospital authorities seeking their response, they claimed that they were criticised for not following the guidelines issued by the Centre during their investigation in December. Last week, the hospital again formed a committee of 20 members, including two parents, police, one reporter, a representative from an NGO among others.

“The committee has found some misconducts, which don’t amount to ragging. We have sent notices to the students, who have been accused in the complaint’s letter,” said Dr Sangeeta Rawat, Dean of the hospital.