Hyderabad Police on Wednesday registered cases against 12 final-year students of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at Government Dental College, dental wing of Osmania Medical College (OMC) in Afsalgunj, for allegedly irritating first-year students at a hostel on the OMC campus, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
They added that the accused students were also suspended from studying at the college for six months.
The students are staying at the Osmania Medical College hostel, where the alleged incident took place.
A senior police officer at Sultan Bazar police station, requesting anonymity, said: “A case has been registered under the Telangana Rattle Prohibition Act, 1997 on the basis of a complaint filed by Sanjeev Singh Yadav, principal of Government Dental College, Afzalgunj.”
The officer added: “The accused students were consulted and released. The investigation is ongoing.”
According to police, the incident came to light on Tuesday after first-year students staying in the boys hostel on the OMC campus complained to the college administration about harassment by seniors.
“The students were allegedly forced to bring orders for food, alcohol and cigarettes from outside during odd hours. They were also asked to fill water coolers. When the youngsters did not comply with this, they were forced to do wall chairs and were banned from attending classes,” the officer said, adding that the statements of the students have been recorded and further investigations are being conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
On the other hand, the college administration suspended the accused students for six months pending a police investigation. “We received serious complaints from first-year BDS students, both physically and mentally. We immediately suspended the accused seniors for six months, pending police investigation. Harassment is a serious crime and there is no place for such activities in a prestigious institution like GDC,” said principal Yadav.
