FIRs may be lodged against those found guilty

Senior students accused of ragging will have to appear before their juniors for identification, says joint director (tech education)

Senior students accused of ragging their juniors at Lucknow Polytechnic will have to appear before the victims for identification and cross-examination on Thursday. FIRs could also be lodged against those found guilty of harassing the newcomers, said Manoj Kumar, joint director (technical education, central zone) on Wednesday.

Kumar visited the campus to take stock of the situation a day after a ragging incident was reported at this institution.

He interacted with the freshers and assured all possible help to them.

The ragging victims recalled the trauma they had to undergo due to the high handedness of the seniors and demanded action against them.

Kumar said the newcomers had identified the culprits after photographs of the accused were shown to them. Many said they were experiencing hearing problems after the ragging assault by their seniors.

Sources said Kumar even had a closed-door meeting with the new entrants. The freshers were so scared of their seniors that they refused to speak out on the subject.

But after they were assured of protection, the first year students spoke about their trauma. The students aired their grievances to the official.

To recall, a number of senior students at the Lucknow Polytechnic had allegedly manhandled six juniors to such an extent that their eardrums got ruptured.

The victims complained of hearing problem after that.

Rajendra Singh, principal, Lucknow Polytechnic confirmed reports of the ragging incident.

“It was unfortunate that junior students were treated so badly by their seniors. The college will take action against the senior boys. The incident took place outside the polytechnic campus,” he said.

The accused will be asked to respond to show-cause notices within 15 days, failing which disciplinary action would be initiated against them.