Kalaburagi:In a shocking incident, a diploma student was allegedly brutally assaulted by his fellow hostel mates at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Residential Hostel in Kalaburagi city. The incident, which took place on October 29, came to light late and has triggered outrage among students and parents.The victim has been identified as Sumit alias Sumeet, a native of Chittapur, who was staying at the Ambedkar Hostel and pursuing his diploma at HKES Polytechnic in Kalaburagi.According to the complaint, Sumit had joined the hostel on October 29. From the very first day, some senior students allegedly started harassing him.
On that day, while Sumit was in his room, five students identified as Roshan, Sharanu, Lakshman, Rajkumar and another person were having a liquor party inside the hostel room. They allegedly forced Sumit to bring liquor for them and demanded Rs 30,000 from him.When Sumit refused to comply, the accused allegedly stripped him naked and brutally assaulted him with wooden sticks, iron rods and beer bottles, and issued life threats. The victim has sustained serious injuries all over his body and is undergoing severe pain.Visuals from inside the hostel rooms show liquor bottles, gutkha and cigarette packets lying around, exposing the illegal activities going on inside the hostel which is supposed to provide a safe environment for students.
After the assault, Sumit called his mother and informed her about the incident. His mother Subhadramma rushed to the hostel and broke down after seeing her son’s condition. It is also alleged that the hostel warden behaved arrogantly with the mother when she questioned the lack of safety.Local residents and family members rescued the injured student and immediately admitted him to a nearby hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.Based on the complaint filed by the victim’s family, a case has been registered at Brahmapura Police Station against five persons including Roshan, Sharanu, Lakshman and Rajkumar.
However, even though the FIR was registered on September 30, the police have not arrested the accused so far and are allegedly shielding them, alleged social activist Manjunath Nalawar.The victim’s mother Subhadramma has demanded strict legal action not only against the accused who assaulted her son but also against the hostel warden for negligence and for allowing such illegal activities inside the hostel premises.Enraged by the incident, parents and student organizations have warned that if the accused are not arrested within 24 hours, they will stage a massive protest in front of the police station.
They have demanded that the police conduct a thorough investigation to find out if there are other reasons behind the assault and ensure a safe environment for students. The public has demanded that security and surveillance be strictly enforced in all student hostels to prevent such incidents in future.Brahmapura police, who have registered the case, are searching for the absconding accused and further investigation is underway.
