The UGC has told the principal of Gurudas College that it disapproved of a report of the college’s anti-ragging committee that probed a first-year student’s complaint against the general secretary of the students’ union and others for allegedly threatening him for not taking part in political programmes.
The letter addressed to principal Mousumi Chatterjee says: “This is to inform you that we have received the ARC (anti-ragging committee) report, but this report has
been disapproved as the conclusion of the investigation and the details of punishment for the culprits — if any, etc, are not attached in the ARC report.”
“So, kindly send the ARC report as per format. Your earliest response will
be appreciated.”
The first-year student had lodged the complaint on the anti-ragging helpline of the UGC (University Grant Commission) in early June this year.
On June 8, the UGC had asked the college to “identify and counsel the victim so he feels safe and knows that authorities are with him and action will be taken on his complaint”.
The college, which struggled to carry out the probe in the initial phase as the complainant told the UGC not to disclose his identity, filed the report of its anti-ragging committee before the commission last month.
Sources in the college said it was mentioned in the report that the general secretary of the students’ union had apologised for his conduct and a complaint had been lodged at the local Phoolbagan police station against two former students of the college.
Principal Chatterjee said: “The UGC has sought the anti-ragging committee report as per the format. We will do that.”
On August 31, the college barred the general secretary of the students’ union from entering the college after a female student accused him of “regular harassment” in a complaint lodged on the UGC’s anti-ragging helpline.
In a written intimation to Phoolbagan police station officer-in-charge last Thursday, principal Chatterjee said they had received another complaint of ragging from the UGC made by a student of the college and the police were requested to take necessary action.
“The UGC has been informed about this action in a separate communication,” said a college source.
‘Sexual abuse’ at home
Two visually challenged girls were allegedly subjected to sexual assault in a private home on the southern fringes of Kolkata.
Police arrested the founder-cum-secretary of the home for visually challenged on Thursday and started a case.
A team of police, the state’s Child Welfare Committee and the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights worked on source information and found that two of the girls were allegedly being sexually assaulted regularly.
“Two persons named in the FIR have been arrested. One of them is the founder-cum-secretary of the home and the other is the principal, who allegedly failed to report the matter,” said an officer of Kolkata police.
