Govt orders probe into ragging allegation made by Plus II first year student of RD Women’s Higher Secondary School – Times of India

BHUBANESWAR: The school and mass education department has asked the Rama Devi Women’s Higher Secondary School (HSS) here to inquire into the ragging allegation of a Plus II (Arts) first year student against her three hostel roommates. The alleged ragging occurred last month.
Official sources said the girl came to the hostel room on September 4 and left it with her parents on September 14. The incident happened while she was staying in the hostel room with her two classmates and one first year girl from Plus II science stream.
She alleged that the trio was creating disturbance in the room and insulting her for coming from Odia medium school. “As I belong to scheduled caste (SC) category, they insulted me by taking my caste name. They asked me to comb my hair outside the room and separate my bed from them. They also told me not to keep shoes in the shoe stand with them. It was harassment for me,” said the student in her letter written on September 18 to inquiry committee members of the Anti-Ragging Cell of the HSS.
On October 5, the girl student wrote a letter to the school and mass education department secretary to give her justice in the case. In the memorandum, she has also made allegations against the junior college authorities for not expediting the probe. “After witnessing the attitude of the HSS authorities, I do not think I will get justice. That’s why I request the department to intervene into the matter,” said the girl in the letter.
She has requested the department to hold an independent inquiry into the matter and take action against the trio for ragging her. The department has also considered the matter and asked the director of higher secondary education, Odisha, to inquire into the content of allegation and furnish factual report to the department at an early date.
School principal Saroj Laxmi Singh said they immediately formed an inquiry committee by taking members from anti-ragging cell, residential committee and faculty members to probe the allegation. She denied the allegation of dilly dallying the inquiry. “We found that the three roommates had asked the girl to comb her hair outside the room because the complainant’s hair was constantly falling. But they had no other intentions to insult the complainant,” she added.