Student ends life,classmates booked under ragging Act

Prashant’s father Bandopant Gulab Chitalkar,a police havaldar with Kotwali police in Ahmednagar,filed the complaint at Rahuri police station. It was later forwarded to the Deccan Gymkhana police station for investigation.

The police have sent a letter to the DES Law College,following which the college set up an inquiry committee to probe the matter. The committee comprises college principal Rohini Honap,Prashant’s class teacher and another senior professor.

“As per norms,we have appointed a three-member committee to probe the matter. It will question the students named in the complaint and submit a report to the police in 48 hours,” said Vikas Kakatkar,vice-president of Deccan Education Society and head of the college management council.

According to the complaint,the four and a few other students of the college used to tease Prashant on the college premises and college hostel,saying that his father was earning money through corrupt means. It alleged that Prashant committed suicide following mental torture by these students.

Bandopant said Prashant had attempted suicide earlier as well — on January 2. No police complaint was lodged at that time. He said Prashant had told him that he attempted suicide because the students were teasing and torturing him. Bandopant also claimed that he had intimated this to Prashant’s college teachers.

The college authorities,however,refuted this at a news conference. Kakatkar said Prashant was an average student and he attended only a few lectures in December. “He was in the hostel from December 22 to 30,but attended lectures only on two days.”

Police said Prashant had gone to his uncle’s place at Khadamble. He jumped into the well early on Sunday morning. The Rahuri police had registered an accidental death case earlier. Inspector M S Bagwan of Rahuri police said Prashant had left no suicide note. “The complaint of ragging has been lodged as his parents suspect that some students at the college were harassing him.”