Guwahati, June 30: Extortion is no longer a word found only in the militant?s lexicon.

The Gauhati Commerce College authorities today announced the expulsion of two students on charges of extorting money from new students, giving a new dimension to ragging.

Principal Ghanashyam Nath said the two BCom students, Bidyut Chakraborty and Navneet Kumar, extorted money from freshers during admission to the higher secondary section. Apart from expelling the duo, the principal issued a notice warning of disciplinary action against any student found guilty of harassing freshers.

Nath said Navneet, a BCom first-year student, was caught red-handed by two teachers and CRPF personnel deployed on the campus when he and a couple of other students were collecting money from newcomers during the admission process on Monday. The tainted student?s accomplices in the act, however, fled before the security personnel could lay their hands on them.

Navneet was extorting between Rs 200 and Rs 400 from each fresher.

On why the student was not handed over to the police, the principal said: ?We refrained from lodging a complaint with the police as Navneet admitted to his mistake and gave an apology in writing. We think his expulsion from the college is adequate punishment for his misdemeanour.?

Nath said an explanation would be sought from the other two students who were allegedly with Navneet during the extortion spree. He indicated that some office-bearers of the students? union were also involved in such activities.

Bidyut, a BCom second-year student and former general secretary of the union, was expelled for similar acts of indiscipline on the basis of a complaint filed by four students.

?He was taking money from students with low scores in the higher secondary examination by promising them admission to the degree courses. He once even went to the extent of asking permission from the college authorities to collect money from freshers on behalf of a student organisation. The request was, of course, turned down,? Nath said.

Bidyut could not be reached for his comments, but a friend of his described the expulsion as a vindictive act by the principal. He said Bidyut had raised his voice against some ?wrong policies? of the college when he was the general secretary of the student union.

Gauhati Commerce College kept its good academic record intact in the higher secondary examination this year, producing the top two on the merit list ? Pulkit Agarwal and Pramod Agarwal.