Dharamshala: Police in Himachal Pradesh have registered a case of sexual harassment against a college professor and booked four female students for alleged ragging after the death of a 19-year-old BA student who had been under medical treatment for several months.
The student, a Dharamshala resident belonging to a Scheduled Caste community, was reportedly died at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana on December 26, 2025. The FIR was filed on Thursday following a complaint from her father, who alleged that his daughter was assaulted by senior students on September 18 last year and subjected to sexual harassment by a professor, triggering severe psychological distress and deteriorating health.
Police said the complainant approached authorities through the Chief Minister’s helpline after his daughter’s death. He also alleged that earlier complaints to the college administration over ragging went unanswered.
The accused professor has reportedly denied the allegations. He said the student had failed multiple subjects in her first-year BA examination and had briefly sought admission into the second year pending re-evaluation.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Ashok Rattan said the FIR was lodged immediately after receiving the formal complaint. He stated that it would be “premature” to reach conclusions before a detailed investigation. The police were not informed about the student’s death or cremation, he added.
Police have begun examining medical records and two videos reportedly recorded by the student before her death, in which she accused the professor of mental harassment and intimidation. These were submitted to the police by her family.
Preliminary inquiry has indicated that the student enrolled in 2024, faced alleged ragging on campus, failed her first-year exams, and stopped attending classes before attempting to re-join the course months later.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for sexual harassment and voluntarily causing hurt, along with the Himachal Pradesh law prohibiting ragging in educational institutions.
Investigators said statements of witnesses and hospital staff will be recorded as part of the inquiry.
The professor maintains that he met the student only once after her exam results and insists that all interactions followed college rules.
