Lucknow: The IIT-Kanpur administration has rusticated 22 students for a period ranging from one year to three years on charges of forcing juniors to perform some objectionable and obscene acts during ragging on the intervening night of August 19 -20.
Following complaints by juniors, the IIT-Kanpur had referred the matter to the dean students’ welfare and anti-ragging committee. The committee conducted the inquiry and submitted its report on September 21, recommending action against 22 seniors who were found guilty of ragging.
During its senate meeting, the IIT-Kanpur had suspended 22 students on September 22 for 15 days and had sought their explanations on charges of ragging and physical assault on juniors. The guilty students had appeared before the committee two days ago.
“We are not satisfied with the explanations of the guilty students. The senate has decided to rusticate 16 students for three years and another six for one year on charges of ragging and physical assault on juniors,” said Prof. Maninder Agarwal, the IIT-Kanpur deputy director.
He said that the decision to rusticate these students was taken late on Monday night in a high-level meeting of the senate, which found these students finally guilty of ragging and physical assault.
It took more than one and a half months for the IIT administration to initiate such a drastic step which is bound to ruin careers of 22 rusticated students and will act as a deterrent for others.
About 30 juniors had lodged a complaint with the management that a group of senior students had forced them to do some obscene and objectionable acts during their ragging on August 19 and 20. Those who refused to oblige were thrashed.
