Dharamshala college ragging case:3 female students, professor booked after 19-year-old’s death

Three female students of a government college in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala have been booked for ragging and voluntarily causing hurt, while a college professor has been booked for sexual harassment in connection with the death of a 19-year-old student, police said on Friday.

The student died during treatment at a hospital in Ludhiana on December 26 last year. The case was registered on Thursday following a complaint filed by the victim’s father.

According to the complaint, the girl was allegedly beaten by three senior students identified as Harshita, Aakriti and Komolika on September 18, 2025. The father also alleged that a professor, Ashok Kumar , indulged in obscene acts with his daughter during the same period.

The complainant said the combined impact of physical assault and harassment traumatised the girl, forcing her to undergo prolonged medical treatment. She was later shifted to a Ludhiana hospital, where she succumbed during treatment on December 26, 2025 .

The father told police that the complaint could not be lodged earlier as his daughter was severely traumatised and hospitalised for an extended period.

Police said a case has been registered under Sections 75 (sexual harassment), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Act, 2009.

At present, there are no reports of arrests, filing of a charge sheet, or court proceedings in the case. Police said the investigation is at a preliminary stage and statements, medical records and other evidence are being collected.