UGC sets up committee to probe Dharamshala college student death
New Delhi (PTI): The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Saturday ordered a probe into the death of a student at a government college in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala following allegations of ragging, according to officials.
The UGC has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
"UGC has taken serious cognisance of the tragic death of a student at Govt. Degree College, Dharamshala. The UGC Anti-Ragging Helpline registered a suo-motu complaint based on media reports alleging ragging leading to suicide, while the college authorities have stated that the case is a death and not a suicide," a senior UGC official said.
"A police inquiry is underway and UGC has constituted a Fact-Finding Committee to examine the incident. UGC assures that culprits will not be spared and that stringent action will follow. Student safety is paramount," the official added.
According to police, three students of the college have been booked for ragging and voluntarily causing hurt while a professor has been booked for sexually harassing the 19-year-old woman who died at Ludhiana hospital on December 26.
The case in the matter was registered on January 1, following a complaint by the student's father.
In his complaint, the student's father alleged that his daughter was beaten by three seniors -- Harshita, Aakriti and Komolika -- on September 18, 2025, while a college professor, Ashok Kumar, indulged in obscene acts with her.
Due to the beating and harassment, the student was hospitalised and she died during treatment, the complaint said.
The complainant also alleged that following these incidents, his daughter went into severe mental stress and fear, leading to a rapid deterioration in her health.
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No 'VIP' involved in Ankita Bhandari murder case: Haridwar SP
Dehradun (PTI): Amid demands for a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Haridwar SP (Rural) Shekhar Suyal on Saturday said that no "VIP" was found involved during the investigation.
Suyal told reporters here that the person whose name came up in the chats and during questioning, was a friend of Ankita, Dharmendra Kumar alias Pradhan, a resident of Noida. He was not a VIP, the officer said.
"During the investigation, police questioning revealed that he had come to the area for some work two days before Ankita's murder and had stopped at the Vanantra Resort for a short time to have a meal," he said.
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Suyal said that this was confirmed by the resort's records and questioning of the staff.
Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, recently released videos and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore, alleging that the 'VIP' in the Ankita Bhandari murder case is a person named 'Gattu'.
In another video, she identified Gattu as a top BJP leader in Uttarakhand.
Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, said that his voice was generated using AI, and the audios have been widely shared with the intention of tarnishing his political image.
The Uttarakhand government on Friday said it was ready for any investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case "if credible evidence is presented".
Opposition leaders have demanded a CBI probe into the new allegations and the murder case, in which three people were sentenced to life imprisonment following an SIT investigation.
Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district, was allegedly murdered on September 18, 2022. The state government had constituted an SIT to investigate the case.
The court sentenced Pulkit Arya, the owner of the resort and son of a BJP leader, and two others to life imprisonment in the case.
