A day after a 19-year-old Dalit BHMS student died by suicide, five of the college, including the principal, were detained on Thursday.
A first-year student of BHMS at the Basna Merchant College in Bahucharaji of Mehsana allegedly died by suicide in her hostel room on Wednesday.
According to the reports, the girl took her own life due to the persistent mental and physical harassment by four professors and lack of action from the college principal, who allegedly referred to it as ‘part of education’.
After the victim’s father filed an FIR naming the professors and the principal, the four, V S Rao Vasnik, Prashant Nuval, Y C Bose, and Dr. Sanjay Reethe along with Principal Kailash Patil, were booked for abetment to suicide. They all have been detained for questioning by Mehsana Police.
Milap Patel, DySP of Mehsana, said, “ The accused have been booked for abetment to suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and have been detained for questioning.”
Around 1:30 pm on Wednesday, the complainant received an urgent phone call from his daughter’s hostel mate, informing him that she was being taken to Mehsana Civil Hospital following a suicide attempt.
Upon arriving at the hospital, he and his wife found their daughter lying dead on a stretcher in the trauma centre.
In the FIR, he stated that foul play could not be ruled out, citing red marks around her neck and bruises on her body.
The girl reportedly narrated to her father that the professors frequently insulted her, gave her excessive academic work, forced her to stand for long hours, and inappropriately touched her under various pretexts. Additionally, the college’s principal allegedly dismissed her grievances, stating that enduring such treatment was a part of education, stated the FIR.
Meanwhile, calling on authorities to take strict action against those responsible for his daughter’s death, the complainant alleged while talking to local media in Mehsana that her caste was a factor in the mistreatment she endured at the institution.
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