BAMS student injured in ‘suicide bid’ over teachers’ ‘caste bias’, police launch probe

The student has accused two resident professors for discrimination based on caste. The complainant states in the FIR that his nephew was allegedly “humiliated in front of other students in class” and the professors allegedly “also threatened to ruin his academic year”. The FIR also states that the professors allegedly “threw away a journal” of the student and refused to sign the same, triggering the 19-year-old to attempt the drastic step.

The FIR has been registered at Kapurai Police station under Sections of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Dr Meeta Mashru, Principal of Pioneer College, said that the student had not approached her with a complaint earlier. Dr Mashru said in a statement, “Neither the student nor his parents have made any complaint to me about any harassment. The moment the student’s guardians came to me with the complaint, we issued a showcause notice to the two doctors to explain their stand. We have also created a committee to probe the matter… The professors have been given three days’ time to reply. After that, we will conduct a fair probe.”

Mashru added that in a “specific message” put up outside her office, students had been “urged to meet me without any appointment to share any grievances” but the student had “never approached me with a complaint”.