RAGGING BACK ON LU CAMPUS, ACCUSED TOLD TO VACATE HOSTEL

An incident of ragging has come to light at Lucknow University’s second campus where a group of 30 seniors, including some expelled students and outsiders, allegedly harassed some freshers.

Reports said the students were forced to do certain “unobjectionable things” under the cover of night darkness on hostel rooftop on September 21.

While some objected to the unjust demand, they eventually had to comply with seniors’ diktat as no one was around to help.

Proctor Prof Nishi Pandey said a university official was rushed to the site soon after the news came in.

Hostel provost AK Singh found that a group of 30 students was troubling fresher students. Pandey said a probe had been ordered and all the accused students told to vacate the hostel.

“I have constituted a committee to investigate the incident and asked for a detailed report,” said the proctor.

Pandey said police had been informed about the incident. As per new anti-ragging rules of the University Grants Commission (UGC), anything that amounts to unnecessary harassment of newcomers will be considered as ragging.

Initially, the seniors denied the act and claimed it was just an introduction round. But the freshers told teachers that such harassment in the name of introduction was routine.

Incidentally, this is not the first such incident of ragging at LU.

In an earlier case, some senior students had taken juniors out to a city mall and harassed them. The freshers had lodged a complaint with the police but later both parties compromised and the complaint was withdrawn.