Odisha: Plus 2 girl student ‘forced’ to watch vulgar clips; probe ordered

By Pallavi Acharya

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 22: A girl student of Ramadevi Higher Secondary School (Junior College) located in Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneswar has brought serious allegations of ragging against her hostel roommates.

The matter came to the fore on Saturday after she wrote a letter to the state school and mass education department seeking justice.

In her five-page letter, the female student alleged that she was subjected to ragging and mental torture by her roommates in the ladies’ hostel. She alleged that her roommates hurled casteist slur at her, forced her to watch vulgar videos and wear shorts at night.

The girl mentioned that she received no relief despite complaining to the college authorities about the incident.

Following her written complaint, the SME department requested the director of higher secondary education to inquire into her allegations and furnish a factual report as early as possible.

The reaction of the college authorities in the matter could not be obtained.

Despite the state government’s reminders to higher educational institutions to put anti-ragging measures in place on campuses, Odisha continues to be among the top five states that register the highest number of ragging cases in India.

As per the anti-ragging helpline (1800-180-5522), from April 1, 2022, to date, 68 complaints of ragging have been filed in various colleges of Odisha of which, three were of a serious nature. In the three cases, the victims had allegedly died by suicide. They were students of BJB Autonomous College, Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital at Balangir and Government Polytechnic at Jajpur.

Of the other 65 cases, a majority (22) were from technical colleges under the Biju Patnaik University of Technology. Besides, 13 cases were reported from MKCG Medical College and Hospital alone. These complaints were registered across all boards including the University Grants Commission (UGC), AICTE, MHRD, ICAR and MCI.