NCW seeks action-taken report from Himachal Pradesh Police over Dharamshala college student death

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of a 19-year-old student of Government College, Dharamshala, who was allegedly subjected to ragging, physical harassment and sexual assault by a college professor. Terming the incident “heinous, inhuman and condemnable,” the statutory body has sought a detailed action-taken report from the Himachal Pradesh Police within five days.

In a statement issued in New Delhi on Saturday, the NCW said the case represents a gross violation of the student’s life, dignity and fundamental rights. The commission also noted that the incident has exposed serious lapses in the security and grievance redressal mechanisms on educational campuses, particularly in safeguarding women students.

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has written to the Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, directing him to ensure the immediate registration of a first information report and the arrest of all accused persons involved in the matter. She has further stressed the need for a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation, with strict adherence to legal provisions related to sexual harassment and anti-ragging laws.

According to the commission, specific directions have been issued to preserve all postmortem findings and medical records linked to the case to prevent any tampering of evidence. The NCW has also asked the state police to take stringent action under existing anti-sexual harassment laws, as well as under the anti-ragging framework applicable to higher educational institutions.

Beyond criminal proceedings, the commission has called for departmental action against any faculty members found guilty. It has also recommended a comprehensive review of the anti-ragging mechanism at Government College, Dharamshala, along with steps to strengthen campus security, student awareness programmes, and counselling systems to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh government has suspended an assistant professor of the college, Ashok Kumar, in connection with the case. The suspension came after an FIR was registered against him for alleged sexual harassment. He will remain under suspension pending the outcome of a departmental inquiry, officials said.

According to the complaint filed by the student’s father, the young woman, who belonged to a Dalit community, was allegedly beaten by three senior students on September 18, 2025. The complaint further alleges that the assistant professor engaged in obscene acts with her during the same period. A video later surfaced on social media in which the student accused the professor of mentally harassing her, committing indecent acts and intimidating her when she objected to his behaviour.

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The father has claimed that these incidents pushed his daughter into severe mental distress, leading to a rapid decline in her health. She died while undergoing treatment on December 26, 2025.

Police confirmed that a case has been registered under Sections 75, 115 and 3 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institution Ragging Act, 2009. Further investigations are currently underway.