‘Puzzled and can’t understand’: Accused student denies ragging in Dharamshala college case; claims deceased was scared of ‘very strict’ father

KULLU: One of the three accused female students in the alleged ragging and sexual harassment case of Dharamshala Govt College denied harassing their 19-year-old classmate, who died last month on Dec 26.In a video posted on social media, the female student claimed that they did not subject her to ragging or witness any ragging in the college. "We were all classmates in the BA first year. How is it possible that we ragged our own classmate? Also, we all belong to the Scheduled Caste community and can't possibly harass someone who belongs to the same caste as we do. I am so puzzled and can't understand why such allegations were made against me," said the girl in the video. "We were told by a student that a third-year student ragged her. But that was it, and there was no proof. We knew nothing more than that," she added in the video. The female student also alleged that the deceased girl was scared of her father, as he was "very strict". In the video, the female student also supported the accused associate professor, saying he was innocent and that he never made her feel uncomfortable. The teachers of the Govt College, Dharamshala, also came out in support of the associate professor, who was suspended on Saturday, two days after a police case was registered against him and three female students.

In a statement, the college teachers said that the accused professor had an "unblemished record and impeccable integrity" and that, as far as "the casteist allegations are concerned, the teacher himself belongs to the OBC category and the claims seem to be far from the truth." Acting on the complaint filed by the deceased girl's father, the police registered a case against the professor and three female students under sections 75 (sexual harassment), 115(2) (causing hurt), and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS, and section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institution (Prohibition of) Ragging Act 2009.