South Calcutta Law College has barred the entry of several senior students into the college till the probe by a fact-finding committee into a complaint of ragging lodged by a first-year student is completed.
The college has also asked the complainant to stay away from the premises for the period.
Asked why, vice-principal Nayna Chatterjee said: “It is the governing body’s decision, I can’t comment. You should speak to president Ashok Deb.”
Deb, a Trinamul MLA, did not take calls from this paper.
The first-year student who has accused his seniors of ragging on Saturday said: “I can’t figure out why I have been asked not to go to college. I have committed no offence.”
“The governing body bars students, both the complainant and the accused, from entering the college premises until they are called for the purpose of the investigation by the committee,” the notice signed by the vice-principal says.
Late on Friday, the college uploaded the names of the second-, third- and fifth-year students “who will not be allowed to enter into the college premises till the submission of report by the fact-finding committee”.
The committee has to submit its report within 15 days, starting Friday.
The police have drawn up an FIR based on the complaint by the student’s father about the alleged ragging.
“Deblina (Das, TMCP unit president in the college) and other students’ union members” have been charged with IPC Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 379 (punishment for theft) and 34 (when a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all).
Another notice uploaded on the college website says: “Till the students’ union election is conducted, no students unit activities will be conducted. Outsiders will be allowed only by enrolling their names, addresses, numbers and mentioning the purpose of their visit...”
“Former students will be allowed entry after taking prior permission from the college authority,” the notice says.
“The college authority has extreme power to suspend students for misbehaviour and they must be suspended up to 10th semester (only for examination they will be allowed)”.
The first-year student who has alleged he “was threatened and bullied to make him join the students’ union and pay subscriptions”, told The Telegraph that some of the students whose names have been uploaded are the ones who assaulted him in the TMCP unit room in the college on December 2.
“In my complaint to the vice-principal on December 5, I named some of the students who assaulted me. But that did not stop them from assaulting me further,” the student said.
“Many former students whom I could not recognise were also involved.”
Is he happy with the fact-finding committee being constituted?
“I lodged a complaint with the vice-principal on December 5. Why was the committee not constituted that day? Why were the accused students not barred on that day? My parents were called to the college on December 7. Instead of addressing our grievance we were assaulted that day,” he said.
The student’s father wrote in his complaint letter to the police late on December 7: “We were not heard at the meeting (of the college governing body on December 7). We were assaulted physically by students’ union members and some suspected former students before the eyes of the teacherin-charge, and the president of the college’s governing body, Ashok Deb”.
