Dharamsala college student death: Professor, three students booked for ragging and sexual misconduct
PTC Web Desk: The death of a 19-year-old student of Government Degree College, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, has triggered widespread outrage after the police registered a case against a college professor and three students on charges of ragging, sexual misconduct, intimidation and acts allegedly linked to her deteriorating health and eventual death.
An FIR has been lodged at the Dharamsala police station against Professor Ashok Kumar and three second-year students, Harshita, Aakriti, and Komolika, 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.
The case was registered following a complaint by the victim’s father, Vikram Kumar, a resident of Sidhbari, Dharamsala. He stated that his daughter Pallavi, a second-year undergraduate student, was allegedly subjected to physical assault, intimidation and sustained harassment on September 18, 2025, by three fellow students. He further alleged that a faculty member of the college had engaged in obscene and inappropriate conduct with his daughter.
According to the complaint, the alleged incidents left Pallavi deeply traumatised and mentally disturbed, resulting in a sharp decline in her physical and psychological health. She was treated at multiple hospitals across Himachal Pradesh before being referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, where she succumbed during treatment on December 26, 2025.
The family told the police that the complaint could not be filed earlier as Pallavi remained critically ill for weeks and was under severe emotional distress. The family was also grappling with shock and grief following her death, which further delayed the registration of the FIR.
Meanwhile, the case has taken a more serious turn after allegations of caste-based discrimination and prolonged mental harassment surfaced. Reports indicate that while undergoing treatment and during her final days, Pallavi reportedly gave a detailed account of the humiliation, discrimination and psychological torture she faced. A video statement, allegedly recorded when she was in a critical condition, has since gone viral on social media, intensifying public anger and raising questions over the delay in police action.
Sources claim that the family had approached authorities earlier, but despite the seriousness of the allegations, an FIR was not registered for nearly two months, drawing criticism over institutional apathy and procedural delays.
Senior police officials said a comprehensive investigation is underway to examine all aspects of the case, including allegations of ragging, physical assault, intimidation, sexual misconduct and possible caste-based harassment. Investigators are also probing whether the alleged acts had a direct or indirect link to the student’s mental health decline and death.
Statements of Pallavi’s classmates, teachers, college authorities and family members will be recorded as part of the investigation. Medical records from all hospitals where she was treated, including DMCH Ludhiana, are being collected to determine the precise cause of death and establish any causal connection with the alleged incidents.
- PTC NEWS
