Dharamshala Student Death: Assistant prof suspended, secures bail; Himachal govt, UGC order separate probes

The Himachal Pradesh government Saturday suspended an assistant professor of a state-run college accused of allegedly sexually harassing a 19-year-old student — who was also allegedly ragged and assaulted by four students and died during treatment on December 26. This came a day after police booked the assistant professor on charges of sexual harassment and three senior woman students for ragging and voluntarily causing hurt.

The assistant professor, who has denied the allegations, Saturday secured anticipatory bail. Police, however, said he was being questioned.

Amid mounting outrage over the incident, the state government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) constituted separate fact-finding committees to inquire into the allegations of ragging, sexual harassment and caste-based discrimination, related to the woman’s death. Taking suo motu note of the matter, the Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, National Commission for Women and the State Commission for Women separately sought reports from the police.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Kangra, Veer Bahadur said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dharamshala, has been entrusted with the investigation in the FIR registered on the complaint of father of the victim. “The accused assistant professor is being questioned. All relevant evidence, including medical records, video clips and statements of witnesses, are being collected,” he said, adding police have taken in their possession some documents and a cellphone.

The Kangra police, in a statement, said that its investigating team has reached Ludhiana to obtain the complete treatment records and to record statements of the medical professionals who treated the victim.

The college administration, police said, has denied receiving any written complaint regarding ragging.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu promised strict action against the guilty. Sukhu who was in Solan, said that based on the “video statement of the deceased woman”, shared on social media, “the accused assistant professor would be immediately suspended”.

Later, Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar, issued an order stating that as per the reports appearing in the electronic and print media, the prima facie involvement of the assistant professor cannot be ruled out, and in order to ascertain the facts, disciplinary proceedings against him are contemplated. It further said that assistant professor has been suspended, pending the outcome of the departmental inquiry “in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-rule (1) of Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965”. As per the order, during the period of suspension, the headquarters he shall be at the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Higher Education set up a fact-finding committee that has been tasked with examining all aspects of the allegations, including harassment, sexual harassment, ragging and alleged caste-based remarks by teachers and students of the college. The committee, headed by Additional Director Higher Education Harish Kumar, with principals of Dhaliara, Baijnath and Naura government colleges as its members, has been directed to submit a comprehensive report within three days.

Separately, the UGC too set up a five-member fact-finding committee after its Anti-Ragging Helpline registered a suo-motu complaint.

Kanwar told The Indian Express that they have come to know that the UGC has taken cognisance of the incident, “though we have not yet received any formal communication”.

As per the complaint on which the FIR has been registered, the victim student’s father alleged that his daughter was assualted by three students on September 18, 2025, while the assistant professor sexually harassed her. He further alleged that she went into severe mental stress, leading to a rapid deterioration in health, was admitted to hospital and died during treatment in Ludhiana hospital on December 26. He alleged the family had earlier complained to the college administration about ragging, but no action was taken. Two videos were shared on social media in which the woman student is purportdely heard accusing the assistant professor of harassing her, committing indecent acts, and mental harassment and intimidation when she protested against his behaviour.

The accused assistant professor, who had denied the allegations, secured an anticipatory bail Saturday. Stating that he is father of two girls, he claimed that he has had an unblemished service record and has just over two years of service left. “I had taught her when she was BA first year student in 2024-25,” he said.

The National Commission for Women chairperson has meanwhile written to the Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, “directing immediate registration of an FIR, arrest of all the accused, fair and time-bound investigation, preservation of post-mortem and medical records, and ensuring strict action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, laws preventing sexual harassment, and anti-ragging regulations.” “In addition, instructions have been issued for departmental action against guilty/negligent faculty members, review of the anti-ragging mechanism in the college, and strengthening of campus security, awareness, and counselling arrangements. In this regard, instructions have been given to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) to the Commission within 5 days,” it the NCW said in a statement.

State Commission for Women chairperson Vidya Negi sought a detailed report from the Kangra SP.

The Himachal Scheduled Caste Commission too sought a report from the police following allegations that the victim was subjected to harassment using casteist slurs. Commission member Vijay Dogra said the panel took cognisance of the matter after videos surfaced suggesting that the victim belonged to the Scheduled Caste community. “The police have been asked to submit a report within a day,” he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Ambedkar Mahasabha protested in Dharamshala Saturday, demanding justice for the victim. The outfit’s state president and Zila Parishad member from Sulah, Roop Rekha, said, “This is not a death from depression, but an attempt to murder, and the police are also responsible for the death as they failed to act in time. Moreover, sections of the SC/ST Act have not been included in the FIR.”

The police had earlier said that a complaint was initially received through the Chief Minister’s Sankalp Seva Helpline, but the student’s statement could not be recorded as she was unwell at the time. The police later recorded the statement of her father.

Preliminary investigations by the police pointed out that the student was enrolled in the college in 2024. She allegedly faced ragging by some students and failed her BA first-year examination. She subsequently stopped attending college after the results were declared in July 2025. Her name was struck off the college rolls on August 21, 2025. The student is believed to have visited the college again in September seeking admission, where she was informed that she would be admitted to the second year if she cleared the re-evaluation, failing which she would have to re-enrol in the first year.