OUAT Dean visits ragging victim

Sambalpur, Oct 18 (UNI) Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) Dean P K Mahapatra, accompanied by other staff, today visited the house of Shiv Shankar Ash, who sustained serious injuries during ragging within the campus last week.

Mr Mahapatra recorded the statement of Shiv Shankar, a first year Agriculture student, in presence of the local police.

Official sources said the student did not divulge the names of any student to the university team, headed by Mr Mahapatra.

The Dean and his team visited the town police station for a while in this regard. Principal of OUAT at Chipilima Prof B Santake also visited the nursing home, where Shiva Shankar is presently undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, the OUAT authorities today submitted a report to Orissa Agriculture Minister S N Nayak, also the Pro-Chancellor of the University, as directed by the latter.

Taking strong exception to the alleged ragging incident, Mr Nayak had asked the University authorities to take action against the students involved in the ragging.

He also 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.

Mr Shiv Shankar Ash was seriously injured when he was allegedly thrown out from the terrace of the OUAT hostel building during a ragging session by some senior students on October 10.

Mr Nayak said the students involved in the ragging would be rusticated from the University if they were found guilty in the probe report.

Khurda Superintendent of Police Amitav Thakur, who had received the complaint from the father of the student through fax yesterday, had started the investigation after a formal complaint was registered in the Khandagiri police station in Bhubaneswar.

Shiv Shankar's parents had alleged that their son was tortured by the seniors in 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.

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