Hyderabad Police File Charges Against 12 Students for Ragging at Dental College

Hyderabad, June 17: The Hyderabad police have filed charges against 12 students from a government dental college for alleged ragging. Reports indicate that first-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students were harassed by senior students within the hostel premises of Osmania Medical College.

It has come to light that the dental college students are currently residing in the Osmania Medical College hostel, where this alleged incident took place. Taking the matter seriously, the college administration has initiated disciplinary action and suspended six final-year BDS students for six months pending further investigation. They are accused of physically and mentally tormenting their juniors.

Additionally, the college principal, Sanjeev Singh Yadav, has lodged a complaint with the police. Following this complaint, a case was registered against the 12 final-year students at the Sultan Bazaar police station under the Telangana Prohibition of Ragging Act. The police have counseled the involved students and are conducting further investigations to determine if more students were implicated in the ragging incident.

Officials have stated that the anti-ragging committee at the college has been strengthened to prevent such incidents from recurring.

The principal has warned that any student involved in ragging will face severe consequences, including permanent expulsion from the college and stringent legal penalties that could jeopardize their future. He advised junior students not to be afraid and to focus on their studies.

In 1997, the undivided Andhra Pradesh state enacted the ‘Andhra Pradesh Prohibition of Ragging Act’ to curb the practice of ragging within and outside educational institutions.

If a student is found guilty of an offense under this act and receives a prison sentence, they will be expelled from the educational institution. Furthermore, if a student is convicted and sentenced to more than six months, they will be barred from admission to any other educational institution in the state.

The act also stipulates that a student’s marks card and other academic certificates will prominently indicate their involvement in ragging.

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