Sambalpur: The authorities at Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) in Burla have penalised four students following allegations of harassing a junior.
The incident, which took place around 15 days ago near the campus main gate, has spotlighted the persistent challenge of curbing ragging despite stringent anti-ragging policies in higher education institutions.
According to sources, a Mechanical Engineering student was allegedly subjected to ragging by three second-year students and a third-year student. The episode began when the seniors allegedly questioned and harassed the junior. Tensions escalated when another junior student attempted to record the interaction on a mobile phone, leading to a verbal altercation. In the scuffle, the phone reportedly fell and was damaged.
The victim lodged a complaint, after which VSSUT’s anti-ragging cell promptly initiated an investigation. A fact-finding committee was constituted to probe the matter thoroughly. Upon completing its inquiry, the committee found all four accused students guilty.
Following which, one senior student was fined Rs 10,000, while the other three were penalised Rs 5,000 each as a part of the disciplinary action.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deepak Sahu confirmed the measures, emphasising the institution’s commitment to enforcing strict rules following the committee’s recommendations. “Any small or big ragging, organised or unorganised, has to be taken seriously… Besides the fines, they had to submit an undertaking from their parents stating that they will not repeat the same. .. it will serve as a strong warning,” Sahu emphasised.
