UGC flags institutional failures in Dharamshala student suicide

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like New Delhi: A University Grants Commission fact-finding committee probing the death of a 19-year-old student at a government college in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala has flagged “serious institutional failures”, including absence of statutory bodies and lack of student support systems, according to its findings. UGC flags institutional failures in Dharamshala student suicideThe panel found the student was “disowned by stakeholders”, and the college principal Rakesh Pathania came to know about the incident through social media with no outreach even after a police complaint, according to the findings submitted to UGC in the last week of March. HT has seen a copy of the panel’s submission to the commission. UGC had on January 3 constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to verify college’s compliance to its regulatory norms on students safety and examine the circumstances surrounding the death of the student on December 26. Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, three students of the college were booked on charges of ragging while a teacher was booked for sexual harassment on January 1. On February 17, a Dharamshala court granted anticipatory bail to all three of them. The UGC panel visited the college between January 1 and 8 and held detailed discussions with college administration, teachers, students, family of the victim and police officials in Himachal Pradesh. It examined implementation of UGC regulations on ragging, sexual harassment, equity and grievance redressal. The panel found that the victim was a BA student admitted in 2024-25 batch and had completed one year in the college. On July 29, 2025, she was declared failed in three subjects and was advised by college administration to “take admission in the first year” even though she had begun attending second-year classes. College officials told the committee that as per university norms, she ‘can’t be admitted to the second year’ unless she cleared re-evaluation. In October 2025, her father complained that she was “bullied and ragged” and in “utter depression”. However, the college’s response remained limited. By December 22, a complaint reached the CM portal alleging harassment. The committee noted that the matter was “not followed up” by police or college. After her death on December 26, videos surfaced where she accused a teacher of “bad touch” and peers of harassment. Despite this, the college initially maintained she was “not a student”, even as peers confirmed she studied there in 2024–25. In its report, the committee noted that key bodies of the college such as the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and anti-ragging mechanisms were either “not formed as per norms” or “non-functional in true sense”. It also flagged that “no one contacted the student or her family” even after a police complaint was made. The committee found that internal inquiries were “inconclusive” and poorly documented, with the anti-ragging probe lacking basic details and not even examining the accused teacher. The college was also found to have “no proper mechanism” to handle sensitive cases, with counselling services “not functional”. The report further pointed to administrative gaps such as lack of CCTV coverage, no proactive action after the police complaint, and delayed institutional response, with the principal learning of the incident through “social media”. “Government Degree College Dharamshala is affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, which is completing 100 years in 2026 and still lacks a mechanism to ensure students safety in line with UGC norms and guidelines. We have recommended several measures for a better academic environment,” a UGC panel member told HT. The committee has recommended urgent compliance with UGC regulations, reconstitution of committees, strengthening of student grievance systems, and prioritising mental health support for students. It also flagged high dropout rates—around 40% annually—and called for better academic and institutional support structures. The panel also called for proper record-keeping of committee proceedings, early identification and support for slow learners, and revisiting teacher-student ratios to ease academic pressure and improve oversight.