University student in Kanpur critical after falling from second floor, family suspects ragging

A first-year student of Chandra Shekhar Azad (CSA) University of Agriculture and Technology was critically injured after she allegedly fell from the second floor of her hostel in the university campus late Tuesday night in Kanpur’s Nawabganj area, officials said.

Her brother Saurabh Kumar, who spoke to her before the incident, said her sister Divya Kamal, 22, was under stress due to ragging in her hostel.

“She was worried that ragging hadn’t stopped in the hostel even after the freshers’ party,” he claimed.

A first year BSc (home science) student, Divya suffered multiple fractures and haemorrhage. She was admitted to a private hospital but was later shifted to the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital as her condition became critical, said Dr SK Singh, university’s medical in-charge.

The university has maintained that Divya fell from the building while she was speaking to someone on phone.

However, her mobile phone was found with a senior girl of the hostel.

“The phone is intact. Had she fallen speaking to someone, the phone should have also broken,” Saurabh said.

Police said university authorities had not informed them or lodged any complaint. “We are still looking into it and a case would be registered when the family or university gives a complaint,” said Dilip Kumar, Station House Officer of Nawabganj police station.

University vice-chancellor Prof Sushil Solomon and dean of student welfare Khalil Khan were not available for comments. Their mobile phones were switched off.

The university’s medical in-charge said he was informed that a student of the home science department had fallen off the second storey of the girls’ hostel. He said he got her admitted to a university-approved private nursing home in a serious condition. She was later shifted to LLR hospital.

Since the girl was not in a position to speak, no inquiries could be made in the matter.

Her father Brijesh, mother Rani Devi and other family members living in Kanpur Dehat were informed about the incident and they reached late night.

CSA authorities have denied that she attempted suicide due to ragging.

However, her mother alleged that Divya had called her brother Saurabh, a former student of the CSA, and had complained about ragging.

She told her brother that his claim that there would be no ragging after the freshers’ party was not true.

Sources in the university said ragging had been rampant on the campus and some seniors had recently broken into a hostel and assaulted juniors and vandalized their rooms.