Four Thapar students rusticated for one semester

Besides rustication for one semester, these students had been fined Rs 2,000 each and to give an undertaking of good conduct during the rest of their stay in the institute, which would be signed both by the student and his guardian. The entry of these students in the institute beyond the normal working hours had been banned. These students would also not be allowed to stay in hostel for one year.

Kapoor said that another set of four students, who were also involved in the incident, had been given a slightly mild punishment. They would not be allowed to re-appear in the second semester examination, which they missed during the temporary expulsion ordered in their case when the examination was in progress.

The other punishments, like throwing out of hostel for one year, ban on entryinto the institute beyond working hours, fine of Rs 2,000 and an undertaking of good conduct would also be applicable to them.

These students, by not being allowed to appear in the second semester examination, would get zero marks out of 20, which would seriously affect their overall performance, Kapoor clarified. He said that the second set of four students had been given milder punishment since they were not directly involved in the act of making the students disrobe each other. However, they had visited the hostel of the freshers and ragged them thus adding to their agony.

Kapoor said that the punishment had been awarded on the recommendations of the disciplinary action committee of the institute, which had senior faculty members, including deans, as members. The committee had thoroughly examined the issue of ragging of freshers by two batches of second year students.

A batch of four students had visited the State College of Education Hostel on October 7 and ragged the juniors there. Ajay Pal Singh, a first year civil engineering student, fractured both his legs when he, in a state of acute tension after ragging, fell down from the second floor of the hostel because of the fear of severe ragging the next day, threat held out by the seniors.

Kapoor said that all the eight students had been rusticated (temporary expulsion) pending inquiry into the incident by the disciplinary action committee. During the inquiry, the students had admitted to their guilt and the committee had recommended strict action against these students. He had accepted the recommendations of the committee in principle and taken action against them.

He said that he had spoken to Ajay Pal Singh’s father, Joginder Singh, a superintendent in the PWD at Pathankot, and he had told him that the boy hadbeen recovering, however, he would miss his first semester since he was still bed-ridden.