The North News
Chandigarh/New Delhi, January 3
The University Grants Commission (UGC), has taken serious note of the death of a 19-year-old student at a government-run college in Himachal Pradesh, amid allegations of ragging and sexual harassment. The UGC said its anti-ragging helpline registered a suo motu complaint after media reports suggested that ragging may have led to the student’s death.
The regulator has constituted a fact-finding committee to examine the incident and said that student safety was “paramount”, adding that those found guilty would face strict action.
The case came into sharp focus after a video of the student circulated widely on social media, triggering public outrage. Police in Dharamshala have since registered a first information report (FIR) against a college professor and three students on charges linked to ragging and sexual harassment.
According to police, the FIR was filed following a complaint by the student’s family, who alleged that she had been subjected to assault, intimidation and sexually inappropriate behaviour at the Government Degree College, Dharamshala. The family said the alleged abuse left her traumatised and depressed.
The complaint alleges that in September last year, three female students beat and threatened the second-year student. Serious allegations have also been made against a professor, accused of making obscene advances. The family claims the cumulative impact of these incidents led to a gradual decline in her mental and physical health.
Despite treatment at multiple hospitals, the student died on 26 December 2025 while undergoing treatment in Ludhiana. Her father told police that the family was initially unable to approach authorities because of her critical condition and the shock they were dealing with.
Police said the FIR has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009. Investigators have visited the college, questioned the accused students and sought records from the administration.
A complaint had earlier been submitted through the chief minister’s helpline on 20 December, after which the matter was forwarded to police. While College authorities and professfor denied the allegations while talking to media.
