Bengaluru: In an alleged case of casteism and ragging, a 19-year-old fresher in a medical college in Rajajinagar was assaulted and humiliated by seniors belonging to an upper caste.
The incident took place on the night of December 24 at ESIC Medical College and the victim has been identified as Saurabh Tupe, an inmate of the college’s boy’s hostel.
Tupe lodged a complaint against his seniors Karan Sharma, Indrajeet, Rahul Jha, Shubhav and Gautam on December 25 following which the accused were arrested by the Rajajinagar police.
The police registered an FIR under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 34 (common intention of the IPC), section 116 (penalty for ragging) of the Karnataka Education Act 1983, section 3(1)(x) (intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view) of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Tupe in his complaint wrote that while he was asleep in his room, the accused, in an inebriated state, barged into his room and began slapping him on his face. Later he was dragged out of his bed and taken to the terrace where the accused hurled abuses at him and insulted his parents and sister.
The accused allegedly forced Tupe to strip while one of the accused Karan shaved off the back of his head. Tupe told police that Karan repeatedly told him that Dalits were not meant to study MBBS and become doctors, but only do menial jobs for the people belonging to upper caste.
Tupe was also threatened against telling about the incident to anyone. As the accused had been harassing him ever since he joined the college in June this year, Tupe decided to approach the police. The police arrested Karan, Indrajeet, Rahul, Shubhav and Gautam on Thursday night. The five accused were on Friday produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
