Ragging menace: OHRC seeks report from VSSUT, Sambalpur homeopathy college

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has issued notice to registrar of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, and principal of the Odisha Medical College of Homoeopathy and Research (OMCHR), Sambalpur seeking report on ragging in their campus.
The commission passed this order on Tuesday after hearing a petition filed by Tejeswar Parida and others of Ragging Free Campus Abhiyan. The petitioner stated that two separate ragging cases occurred in these two educational institutions in Sambalpur during the last week of March this year.He prayed for necessary action into the matter to stop this menace in the state.
Early on March 28, some second year B Tech students of a hostel in VSSUT Campus were ragged with severe physical and mental torture for few hours (about 2 am to 6 am) by fourth year students. “As they were smoking ganja in the same hostel, the junior students had reported the incident to the VSSUT authorities on the same day morning. After this, several meetings and enquiries have been held by the authorities,” said Parida.
He said some junior students in one of the girls’ hostels of the OMCHR were ragged by some senior female and male students with verbal abuse and sexual harassment on March 31 evening. This incident was reported to the national anti-ragging helpline on the next day after which the homeopathic college authorities had started enquiry into the matter, he added.
The OHRC also said in its order that the authorities of these two institutions will state what action has been taken against the students who are involved in the ragging. It has also included the ragging issue of the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla, with this case. All these cases will be heard by the commission on April 26.
Recently, Parida’s forum had filed a petition before the OHRC about ragging at the VIMSAR last month. Authorities have imposed a fine of Rs 54000 from 18 students allegedly involved in the ragging incident. The commission while hearing this case on March 15 had asked the chief secretary to file his response into this matter.