Meghalaya: West Garo Hills police confirms leads in NEHU ragging case

Tura: Abraham T. Sangma, the police chief of West Garo Hills (WGH), has confirmed that ongoing investigation has produced certain leads in the case involving the alleged ragging of a student from Nagaland at the NEHU Tura campus hostel.

However, the investigation has currently been put on hold following the university declaring holidays for Durga Puja.

“We have certain leads that we are pursuing, but will have to wait until the students return from the holidays. We are hopeful of a breakthrough once we have all the information about the case,” informed Abraham.

Earlier on October 8, a first-year Agri Business Management student from Nagaland who recently joined the Arabella hostel for boys on the NEHU Tura campus was allegedly forced to strip and dance by a group of 5-6 senior students from the same hostel for their entertainment.

The incident came to light after the student wrote a formal complaint to the proctor of the hostel, Dr. Gino Sangma, following which NEHU authorities launched an internal investigation into the matter. Another fact-finding investigation team from Shillong also reached the campus, though the contents of their discovery have not been shared so far with either the family or anyone else.

While an internal investigation by the University provided no breakthrough, many criticised it for not seeking support from the state police for what is essentially a criminal case. No official communication had been made with the WGH by NEHU, despite the administration claiming that they would seek help from them.

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Following a ‘Zero’ FIR filed by the victim in Nagaland, the case was formally taken over by the police, after which an investigation began to seek out the perpetrators.

The case has become murkier over the past few days after NEHU apparently filed a formal FIR in the matter, though the Vice Chancellor has refused to hand over a copy of the complaint along with the findings to the family of the victim. This has led to NSU – Shillong questioning the commitment of the institution in ensuring justice for the victim.

NSU-S has further alleged that efforts were possibly being made to shield the perpetrators instead of acting against them.

Also Read | Meghalaya: NEHU ragging case sparks police enquiry after victim files Zero FIR