Following the death of a 19-year-old woman student of a local Government Degree College in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to constitute a Fact-Finding Committee, asserting that the safety of students is paramount.
In a statement, the UGC also assured that the culprits will not be spared and that stringent action will be taken against them.
“The University Grants Commission has taken serious cognisance of the tragic suicide at the Government Degree College, Dharamsala. It has been decided to constitute a Fact-Finding Committee. UGC assures that culprits will not be spared, and stringent action will follow. Student safety is paramount,” the UGC said in the statement.
The UGC statement came after a purported video statement recorded by the victim before her death went viral. While the UGC statement used the word ‘suicide’, the victim’s family has alleged that she was beaten by three senior students and sexually assaulted by a college professor.
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According to the FIR filed by her father, three students, namely Harshita, Aakriti, and Komolika, had allegedly intimidated and assaulted his daughter on 18 September last year. A professor named Ashok Kumar allegedly indulged in obscene acts with the victim.
“The complaint could not be lodged earlier as my daughter was traumatised and had to be hospitalised,” Kumar told the police.
After the alleged harassment and intimidation, the victim became mentally disturbed, leading to a sharp deterioration in her health. She eventually died in Punjab’s Ludhiana during the treatment.
Following the family’s complaint, police conducted a preliminary inquiry and registered a formal case.
“Only after a detailed investigation will it be clear whether the allegations of ragging, physical assault, intimidation, and sexual misconduct had any link to the deterioration of Pallavi’s health and her subsequent death,” a police official said.