The Kendrapara Town police on Monday night registered a case on the alleged matter of ragging and harassment of a Dalit student of Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Training Centre (ANMTC) in the Kendrapada District Headquarters Hospital. Padmini Sethy , a second year student at the ANM training centre, who stayed in a hostel of the centre, made an attempt to commit suicide following she faced ragging on Monday from hostel secretary Puspalata Das.
She was forced to clean kitchen utensils and on being denied, she was misbehaved by Puspalata. When Padmini brought the matter to the notice of centre’s principal Basantilata Panda, she did not pay any heed. As a result, being harassed and frustrated over the attitude of the principal, Padmini made an attempt to commit suicide by consuming six paracetamol tablets.
Town police registered a case bearing case no 23/2015 under Section 306,511,34 IPC; 3(i)(x) SC and ST PA Act against the principal of ANM training center and the hostel secretary following the victim’s uncle Ranjan Kumar Sethy lodged an FIR. The SDPO of Kendrapara has been assigned to probe the case.
On the other hand, Kendrapara CDMO Binayak Prasad Prusty stated that as per a preliminary inquiry made by him on Monday, he found some veracity in Padmini’s allegation. He said he had directed an inquiry by engaging an inquiry officer. After getting a detailed inquiry report, necessary action would be initiated against the culprits, he told.