8 students suspended for ragging in government polytechnic

LUCKNOW - Eight students of a government-run polytechnic institute in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district were suspended for physically abusing and ragging a junior on the institute campus, an official said Thursday.

“The eight students placed under suspension are in their second year of the Electronics trade course and had ragged and assaulted one of their juniors last week,” O.P. Seth, principal of the Jahangirabad Polytechnic, told reporters in Barabanki, some 40 km from Lucknow.

“The students have been found guilty in the ongoing enquiry being conducted by the institute’s proctorial board. As a part of the disciplinary action against the eight students, we may also debar them from appearing in the exams,” he added.

According to the officials, the eight students - Raghuvar Gupta, Pankaj Yadav, Mohammad Shafiq, Mayank Mishra, Kapil Rajbhar, Rohit Tiwari, Amit Pandey and Gaurav Sonkar - manhandled Arvind Pandey after he refused to go around the polytechnic ground on his knees.

They started beating him on the institute’s ground, following which he fell unconscious and was later rushed to a hospital by the authorities.

Arvind was discharged from hospital two days ago but is still not attending classes.