Ragging in OUAT;Minister seeks report

Bhubaneswar, Oct 17: Taking serious exception to alleged ragging of an engineering college student in the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology(OUAT) here, Orissa Agriculture Minister S N Nayak today sought a report from the varsity authorities.

Mr Nayak warned that the government would be forced to withdraw the ''No Objection Certificate'' if the authorities in the engineering colleges in the state failed to prevent ragging.

The Minister's action came following reports in a section of the press that First year agriculture student Shib Shankar Aas was seriously injured when he was thrown out from the terrace of the OUAT building during a ragging sesion by the seniors on October 10 last.

The student was initially admitted in the Capital Hospital here but later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack and finally to his home town in Sambalpur for treatment.

The Agriculture Minister said the students involved in the ragging would be rusticated from the University if they were found guilty in the report.

He also warned that the government would take action against the Principals of the Engineering College and FIR would be registered against them if they failed to check ragging in their respective institutions.

State Law and Industry Minister B B Harichandan had also expressed grave concern over the incident and said the government had directed the authority in the Engineering and other institutions to initiate criminal prosecution against the students indulged in ragging. Khurda Superintendent of Police Amitav Thakur, who had started investigation into the incident, said he had received the complaint from the father of the student through fax today.

Shiv Shankar's parents had alleged that their son was tortured by the seniors during September and he being panicky over the incident had come to the house but again left for the University after the puja vacation.

Mr Thakur said a police team would soon visit Sambalpur to meet Shiv Shankar and record his statement. He said the student would be shifted to Bangalore soon as his condition continued to remain critical.

UNI