SILCHAR: Assam Police have initiated an investigation in connection with an alleged assault on a student of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar by his seniors inside the institute’s premises recently.
The student, currently enrolled at the Department of Electrical Engineering, NIT Silchar, hails from Patharkandi in the Karimganj district. As per the complainant, nine senior students beat him on the night of April 28 and destroyed his mobile phone and laptop. After he raised an alarm, his fellow roommates came and rescued him from the seniors. He was thereafter taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital in an ambulance and his medical tests were done, the complainant stated.
The complainant said he was afraid initially and he also thought that the NIT authorities would take some action. But he decided to seek police help a week after the incident as he thought his silence would encourage the accused persons of carrying out similar acts without any fear, the student said.
He also claimed about getting threat calls and calls for monetary offers to settle the matter without the involvement of the police.
The student, whose name has not been disclosed by EastMojo to ensure his privacy, said, “I am not feeling safe. I am getting threat calls from unknown numbers. It seems like my life is in danger. The incident is causing a lot of damage to my psyche/mind.”
He said he had spoken to the institute’s authorities, including director Sivaji Bandopadhyay, who had assured him about taking stern action against the assailants, but nothing has been done.
A senior official of a local police outpost, V. Singh, said on Tuesday that they have registered a case and consulted the matter with the NIT Silchar authorities, who have assured all sorts of co-operation in the investigation. “All of them (complainant and accused) are students and thus we are dealing with this carefully,” Singh said.
Sources in police the matter was being probed, however, nobody was detained or arrested in connection with the alleged assault, as per last reports available.
Registrar at NIT Silchar KL Baishnav told EastMojo on Tuesday that the student (complainant) has violated the NIT’s rules by reporting the matter to the police without informing/taking permission from them. “The student has violated the rules of the NIT. We have initiated administrative action regarding the issue,” Baishnav stated.
He refused to comment anything further on the matter.
NIT Silchar Sivaji Bandopadhyay could not be reached for his comments.
NIT Silchar was established in 1967 as a Regional Engineering College in Silchar. In 2002, it was upgraded to the status of National Institute of Technology and was declared an Institute of National Importance under the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007. It is one of the prestigious educational institutions in Assam and the Northeast and it was the highest placed educational institute in Northeast India in Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings, 2021.
