First-year student assaulted in the name of ragging at Chandigarh College of Architecture

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, December 23

Students of Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA) were seen physically assaulting one of the first-year students in full public view in the name of ragging in a video which took the social media by storm.

The video is said to have been shot by an unidentified person, who was witnessing the ragging on Thursday. The video shared by an unverified account user, on one of the social media platforms, showcased senior students physically assaulting one of the first-year students and asking other students to sit in the line and wait for their turn. Both male and female students were caught instructing the first-year students to queue up and wait for their turn. Senior students were even heard encouraging the nearby attendees to beat the victim (student).

“We condemn this incident. The anti-ragging committee of the college has investigated the matter and the students involved in ragging have been identified. Highest order of disciplinary action will be taken against them,” said Professor Sangeeta Bagga, officiating principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture.

Sources claimed that six to seven students have been identified, while other students, who witnessed the incident, will be also questioned.

Meanwhile, the matter was also brought to the notice of the UT police. The college authorities have submitted the video to the cyber cell. The students, meanwhile, claimed that they haven’t posted the video on the social media.

After the video surfaced on the social media, several parents alleged that such incidents happen every year on the CCA campus, which is affiliated to Panjab University.

“This should be stopped. First-year students are asked to do various tasks and are threatened with dire consequences. One can easily see in this particular video that even female students are taking part in this ragging. This happens every year. We are also among the victims in the past,” said one of the parents.

Sangeeta, meanwhile, refuted such claims.

Past incident

In 2012, eight students of the same institution were reportedly expelled on the complaint of a first-year student for indulging in ragging. As a preventive measure, reshuffling of hostel rooms also took place and first-year students were shifted to the ground floor, while others were accommodated on first floor.