Ranchi: Six third-semester students of National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL) have been suspended for a month for allegedly abusing and humiliating a junior last month.

The alleged ragging of first-semester student Tanay Chaturvedi, son of an IPS officer in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, took place on August 28 and the suspension of his BA-LLB seniors was ordered on Saturday. The accused students have been asked to vacate the hostel on the Kanke campus by Monday.

Sources at NUSRL said the six, who are natives of Ranchi, Rajasthan, Delhi, Calcutta and Gwalior and aged between 20 and 22 years, have technically been barred from attending regular classes pending an internal inquiry that has simultaneously been ordered.

A student who witnessed Tanay's ordeal said the 19-year-old had joined classes only a week before the incident and hence, was considered an easy target. "The seniors asked him to sing, perform a pole dance and mouth some absurd monologues. He was verbally abused when he refused to oblige them," the student said.

The victim confided in his parents who visited Ranchi and demanded that the NUSRL authorities return the admission fee of Rs 1.5 lakhso that Tanay could join another institution.

The law varsity hurriedly conducted a preliminary inquiry and found the accused students guilty of harassing Tanay. "Primarily, it seems the boy was targeted by his seniors. Six of them have been suspended for a month and an in-depth inquiry ordered," said VC Gautam Choudhary.

One of the suspended third-semester students called the allegations "baseless", but didn't explain why a junior would suddenly make such serious claims.