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Dharamsala: A college professor and three girl students have been booked on charges of ragging, sexual harassment and abetment linked to the death of a 19-year-old student of Government Degree College, Dharamsala, police officials said late on Thursday.
An FIR has been registered at the Dharamsala Police Station under Sections 75, 115(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009 against college professor Ashok Kumar and three students—Harshita, Aakriti and Komolika.
The case has been registered on the complaint of the victim’s father, Vikram Kumar, a resident of Sidhbari in Dharamsala.
According to the police, Vikram Kumar stated that his daughter Pallavi (19), a second-year student of the college, was allegedly physically assaulted and intimidated on September 18, 2025, by three female students. He further alleged that Professor Ashok Kumar subjected Pallavi to obscene acts, causing severe mental trauma.
The complainant told the police that following the alleged ragging, harassment and intimidation, Pallavi became extremely frightened and psychologically disturbed, leading to a sharp deterioration in her health. She was initially treated at multiple hospitals in Himachal Pradesh as her condition continued to worsen.
Subsequently, she was referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, where she died during treatment on December 26, 2025. Vikram Kumar said he was unable to approach the police earlier as his daughter remained critically ill and traumatised for a prolonged period. The family, he added, was also in deep shock following her death, which contributed to the delay in complaining.
Police officials said that after examining the complaint and conducting a preliminary inquiry, a case was registered against the accused professor and students. The investigation will investigate allegations of ragging, physical assault, intimidation and sexual misconduct, as well as the sequence of events that allegedly led to the student’s mental distress, declining health and eventual death.
A senior police officer said that statements from Pallavi’s classmates, teachers, college authorities, and family members will be recorded. Medical records from all hospitals where she was treated, including those from Ludhiana, are being collected to ascertain the cause of death and any direct or indirect link with the alleged incidents.
Confirming the registration of the case, Ashok Rattan, Superintendent of Police, said that the investigation is underway and all aspects of the case will be probed thoroughly and impartially. The case has sent shockwaves across the hill town and raised serious questions about campus safety, ragging and institutional accountability in higher education institutions in Himachal Pradesh.
