A student of DHSK college, Dibrugarh, Rani Gogoi, has filed an FIR at the Gabharupathar police outpost alleging that her seniors at the Borthakur PG in the main town of Dibrugarh had “severely ragged” her on June 22 last.
In her FIR, she further alleged that the senior girls of the PG dragged her forcefully to another room for an “introduction session” and then she was asked to catch a house lizard. “After I did so, I was not even allowed to wash my hands and was forced to have dinner with unwashed hands. As if all this was not enough, I was kicked by one of the senior girls,” she told media persons.
Rani has been living in the said PG for the last one month and is a student of the Science stream in the said college. She further told the media persons that she has been “physically tortured” by the senior girls of the PG.
Talking to Northeast Now, Himadri Acharyya, another girl living in the PG, said, “Rani has filed a false case against her seniors. Altogether, 23 girls were there in the hostel on the said day. All the girls have said that Rani has brought false charges against the senior girls.”
“Rani is staying in the PG for the last one month. Nobody has tortured her for so long, then why will they torture her now? She is lying and is trying to tarnish the reputation of the hostel and the girls. We are living for the past three years in this hostel and till date we have never been harassed by any senior girl,” Himadri further stated.
Bina Sahu, warden-cum cook of the hostel, said, “I was preparing dinner for the girls on Friday (June 22) evening and suddenly Rani’s relatives came to the hostel and started shouting in the hostel premises at the top of their voices. They have threatened our girls with dire consequences. Rani has levelled false and baseless charges against her seniors. I am working in this hostel for the past so many years and never has there been any incident of ragging in this PG.”
A guardian of one of the girls, requesting anonymity, said that his daughter is living in the hostel for the past several years and they have not heard anything about ragging in the hostel.
Runu Borthakur, owner of Borthakur PG, rubbishing off charges of ragging, remarked, “I am running the hostel smoothly for the past so many years. I always ensure that ragging never takes place in my hostel. Rani is just trying to muddy the reputation of my hostel and spoil the image of the girls.”
A police official of Gabharupathar police outpost, where Rani has filed the FIR, said, “We cannot say anything right now because investigation is at its preliminary stage.”