Patna, Jan. 18: A fact-finding team of Patna University (PU) has asked Patna Women’s College to refund Rupam’s hostel and tuition fees.

She had left the college last year after an incident of ragging. The PU vice-chancellor had constituted the fact-finding team to probe into the alleged ragging incident in campus.

The team, in its report, recommended that Patna Women’s College must refund Rs 31,000, to her. The amount includes Rs 24,000 as hostel fees and Rs 7,000 as tuition fees that Rupam paid to the college authorities at the time of her admission.

However, the fact-finding team observed it was not a case of ragging but it concerned with the strict discipline on the college and the hostel campuses.

On December 7, The Telegraph had reported about the investigation team giving Patna Women’s College authorities a clean chit.

Though senior officials of the university refused to comment on the incident, sources in the university said the probe team has submitted the report and it has recommended money be refunded to Rupam.

Sources said the report stated that the student was not able to cope with the strict regulations of the college, so she made ragging an excuse for leaving the institution. University pro-vice-chancellor S.I. Ahson headed the six-member fact-finding team. The other members of the committee included PU proctor Sarvendu Kumar, dean of students’ welfare P.K. Poddar, Patna Medical College and Hospital doctor and PU syndicate member Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, teacher of political science department of Magadh Mahila College, Pushpalata Kumari and Kriteshwar Prasad, a teacher in Patna University.

The incident surfaced in September when Rupam, a first year student at Patna Women’s College, was allegedly ragged by her seniors. Rupam first tried to register the complaint with the college authorities. The college authorities did not take the incident seriously. This forced her to move to the university, which tried to settle the issue.

Later, in the second week of October, Kotwali police registered a case against Patna Women’s College authorities and the superintendent of the hostel for not taking action in the case.

Rupam’s brother had registered a case against college authorities at the Kotwali police station. Rupam stopped going to college following the incident. Various students’ unions including AISF, had taken up the issue and repeatedly demonstrated before the university authorities urging them to take action.

In the last week of September, the AISF had gone on a hunger strike and demanded action against the culprits in the case. The strike ended only after pro-vice-chancellor Ahson promised to take action. Her guardians also alleged ragging of Rupam and approached various organisations, including the state human rights commission, for justice.

Eventually the PU vice-chancellor set up a committee to investigate into the case.