SUSPENDED FOR RAGGING, STUDENTS TO MOVE COURT

The students suspended by the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) for ragging their juniors have decided to move the court to challenge the decision of the institute’s senate.

A parent of a student said on condition of anonymity that the decision of IIT-K senate was unfortunate and taken in haste merely on verbal evidence.

“There is no incriminating evidence against my son. The senate has taken the decision simply on the basis of allegations,” he said.

“Natural justice requires evidence. In this case, the inquiry committee went by verbal evidences. This decision will spoil the career of our children,” he said, adding many other parents had also decided to move the court to secure a stay on the decision.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) had on Monday night suspended 16 students for three years and six others for a year after they found them guilty of ragging their juniors.

This was the first decision of its kind in the history of the premier institution.

The IIT-K’s senate held the third-year students guilty of making their juniors strip and perform objectionable acts. The ragging was recorded on cell phones and circulated on social media groups.

IIT-K’s deputy director Dr Manindra Agarwal said the 16 students were expelled for three years as the charges against them were “extremely serious”.

The senior students will not have the right to appeal for mercy during the expulsion period and can appeal only after the completion of the suspension period and would be allowed to take admission in the course.

In addition, the president and other office-bearers of the student gymkhana were removed from their respective posts allegedly for ignoring the complaints.

About 30 junior students had filed a complaint to the dean of student affairs against 50 seniors, saying they were thrashed, abused, and forced to perform objectionable acts on August 20.