After the death of a teenaged medicine student in a Himachal Pradesh college, allegedly due to ragging by seniors, heads started to roll on Tuesday with college authorities suspending the hostel warden, its manager and two guards.
Aman Kachru, 19, a resident of Jammu, had died on Sunday night in a hospital in Tanda due to severe injuries suffered allegedly during ragging by four of his seniors.
Owning moral responsibility for his death, Principal of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College Suresh Sankhayan has sent in his resignation. While two second year students Ajay Kumar Verma and Naveen Verma have already been arrested, police is on the look out of two absconding students -- Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma -- named in the case registered with the Kangra police station, Superintendent of Police of Kangra district Atul Kumar Fulzule said.
Fulzule said the absconding students are residents of Shimla and Nahan in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh and the police of these districts are on the look out for these two. As a precautionary measure, a police team comprising an assistant sub inspector, two head constables and 25 constables has been deployed in the college premises.
Fulzule, however, said the situation is peaceful in the college. Classes, which were suspended on Monday in the wake of Kachroo's death, resumed today.
Sankhayan, who was on duty today since his resignation is yet to be accepted, said the college has constituted a committee of senior doctors to suggest measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Taking serious note of the incident, probably the first of its kind in HP, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has sought a report from the college authorities and directed that the guilty be punished. State Health minister Rajeev Bindal said strong measures would be taken so that such ugly incidents do not recur in the state again.
In Gurgaon, the shocked family of the student said the boy was subjected to immense violence and demanded action against the medical college.
"He was slapped many times, His head was shaved off. He was punched and kicked. He was hit on the head and chest. He was forced to work on their project whole night," Indira, Aman's aunt, alleged. Rohit Kachru, his uncle, said Aman had told his parents about the ragging in the institute.
"In fact, we should blame ourselves. He had told his parents about the ragging. We did not think it will turn this violent," Kachru said.
Another relative remembered Aman as a 'gentle boy' who was a hard worker. "He never entered into a confrontation with anyone. That was not his nature," he said, demanding stern action against the medical college.
