The fact-finding committee of a law college that was constituted to probe complaints of ragging lodged by a student has ruled out any ragging in its report.
It said that whatever happened was a case of misunderstanding between students.
Santanu Mitra, the chairperson of the committee, told The Telegraph: “After hearing the version of both parties, the committee has concluded that there was no case of ragging. Whatever has happened was absolutely a case of misunderstanding between students concerned.”
The complainant’s father, who deposed before the committee along with his son at South Calcutta Law College last week, said they “did not get justice” either from the committee or from police.
On December 7, the student and his family members, who were asked by the college authorities to meet them following the ragging complaint, were allegedly assaulted on the campus in the presence of the governing body president Ashok Deb, a Trinamul Congress MLA, and vice-principal Nayna Chatterji.
The same day, the student’s father lodged a complaint at Kasba police station.
The committee submitted its report on December 23.
The student’s father said he told the committee last week to take steps so that no other student or their family members get assaulted by senior students.
On December 9, the college uploaded the names of the senior students accused of the assault.
Did the committee not find any evidence of assault? “There was no assault,” Mitra said.
The complainant’s father said they did not get any copy of the final report from the college authorities.
“If the committee has concluded that there was no question of ragging and assault, I would then say we did not get justice,” he said.
A committee member said the report along with actions has been sent to the UGC’s anti-ragging helpline, as the student lodged a complaint on the helpline on December 3.
The helpline wrote to the student on December 26: “….we have received the ARC (anti-ragging committee) report from South Calcutta Law College, and would like to know whether you are satisfied with the action taken by the authority or not?”
The student said he would send his response shortly.
“I am not satisfied...If the committee has said that whatever has happened was a misunderstanding, then I would say, I did not get justice,” he told The Telegraph.
The student had alleged that some of the assaulters snatched his and his elder brother’s smartphones.
The committee chairperson last week said the college authorities were looking at the possibility of buying him a smartphone so that he can attend online classes. “...The college has not bought me a smartphone till now.”
Calls and text messages to vice-principal Chatterji went unanswered.
An officer of Kasba police station said their investigation was on.
