The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to form a fact-finding committee to look into the death of a 19-year-old woman student at Government Degree College in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. The commission has promised strict action against those found responsible for allegedly pushing the student to take this drastic step.
The UGC referred to the death as a suicide, but no official statement has been issued by the local police.
19 Year Old Pallavi dies in Himachal Pradesh
In response to this tragic event, the UGC said, “It has been decided to form a Fact-Finding Committee. The UGC guarantees that those responsible will face consequences, and strict action will follow. Student safety is the highest priority.”
After the incident, Himachal Pradesh Police registered a case against a college professor and three female students on charges of ragging, physical assault, and sexual misconduct.
The deceased, Pallavi, was a second-year student at the college. In a complaint to the police, her father, Vikram Kumar, claimed that on September 18 of last year, three fellow students—Harshita, Aakriti, and Komolika—had intimidated and physically assaulted his daughter. He also alleged that a professor, Ashok Kumar, subjected Pallavi to indecent acts.
Case of ragging and sexual harassment
Kumar, a resident of Sidhbari in Dharamsala, informed the police that after the alleged harassment and intimidation, his daughter became mentally distressed, leading to a serious decline in her health. She initially received treatment at several hospitals throughout the state. As her condition worsened, she was transferred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana, where she passed away during treatment on December 26.
Sources said that Kumar told the police he could not file a complaint earlier because his daughter remained critically ill and traumatized for an extended time. The family was also deeply shocked by her death.
An FIR has been filed at the Dharamsala police station under Sections 75, 115(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009, against Professor Ashok Kumar and the three students.
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