Dibrugarh, Assam (The Hawk): At least 18 students were expelled from Assam's Dibrugarh University on Monday for their alleged involvement in ragging a student who ultimately leapt off a two-story structure of the varsity hostel "to spare himself from mental and physical harassment."
The incident took place on Saturday night. Anand Sharma, a first-semester M.Com student, was subjected to abuse up until early Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon, Sharma was later given a hospital admission.
Additionally, the accused students were kicked out of the dorm at the institution.
Sharma was allegedly physically and mentally abused beginning at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday at the Padmanath Gohain Baruah dorm on campus, according to a FIR filed by the university's registrar. The attack persisted until the early hours of Sunday morning, until five.
Anand Sharma allegedly leaped off the B block of the dormitory at around 10.30 a.m. on Sunday on the guise of using the restroom in order to escape the "severe mental and physical torture." He suffered severe wounds.
He was taken in critical condition to a local hospital by a few hostel residents. Later, Sharma was sent to a different hospital for enhanced care by the university administration, the official continued.
Five people, including a former university student, have been identified as suspects by the university officials in the FIR about the alleged ragging incident.
Four suspects are being held by the police in this case. Rahul Chetri, an alumni, is still at large, nevertheless.
Sharma is a first-semester M.Com student. In the ICU of a private hospital in Dibrugarh, he is receiving medical care.
Sarita Sharma, the mother of the victim, claimed: "My son was subjected to physical and mental abuse and made to consume alcohol. He was forbidden from taking meals. He used to be asked by the elderly to bring them alcohol. He previously advised me to quit the hostel... We can't afford to rent a house, so I demanded he stay at the hostel. However, I had no idea about the kind of torment he was experiencing at the hostel. The elders also intimidated him into not raising any issues with the authorities.
She asserted that the family had previously complained to the university administration, but that no action was taken to put a halt to these actions.
Meanwhile, on Monday, university students protested and called for the accused students to face severe punishment.
(Inputs from Agencies)