Sthrigdhara Naik
sthrigdhara@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Is it rustication or an eyewash, as four GMC students rusticated for assaulting and allegedly ragging their companion in the boy’s hostel still reside there, according to Sameer Velip, an undergraduate third-year medical student of GMC who was brutally and grievously assaulted by four boys who were subsequently rusticated.
While Dean Dr. Shivanand Bandekar and other members of the inquiry committee outrightly deny that the four boys are in the GMC hostel, Velip is firm that he has video evidence to show that the rusticated boys are freely roaming in GMC.
Velip had suffered a nasal bone fracture, a grievous injury, and many other bruises when he was beaten by the four boys in room number 41 when Velip went to them to ask them to lower the volume of their music as he wanted to study.
The CT scan reports of the victim read, “Facial injury, displaced fracture to left nasal bone and undisplaced fracture to the right nasal bone.”
When contacted, Agassaim PI Tulshidas Naik said that it was a simple assault case involving no addictive substance. Declining to furnish more details on whether the medical examination of the accused was done or not and whether the blood sample test reports have been received, he said, “It was a case of assault and the medical examination reports read simple injury”.
PI Naik said, “Four medical students Aayush Mangal, Nityam Chandra, Rishabh Marmat, and Mohammad Uvais were sitting in the hostel room and were group studying. Their voice was a little louder since they were studying in a group. Velip, who was in the other hostel room objected to the loud sounds and asked them to lower their voice. Due to this argument broke out between Velip and the four accused”.
Velip asks, “Is the displacement of nasal septum demanding surgery a simple assault? I have seen the hookah machine, drugs, and liquor in the hostel room. Why weren’t the accused sent for medical examination?”
Refuting Velip’s allegations, one member of the inquiry committee Dr. Tiwari said, “Four medical students who assaulted Sameer Velip on April 28 had come to their hostel room by partying outside, and hence they were under the influence of liquor. But there was no liquor or any addictive substance in the GMC boys’ hostel.”
Sameer Velip, then told Herald, “The four rusticated boys continue residing and partying with addictive substance in the third year’s boys’ hostel room number 41 even after their rustication. I had informed hostel authorities about the same but authorities turned deaf ears to all my complaints.”
Narrating his attack, Velip said, “I came back from the library reading room at approximately around 10 pm and resumed preparations of my upcoming PSM ward-living examination. Half an hour later I heard loud music being played outside my room. As it was causing disturbance to my studies, I came out of my room and found that noise was coming from room no 41, which was opposite my room.”
“I knocked on the door and since it was not bolted from inside, I requested them to lower the volume. In their room, I saw around 7-8 boys in an inebriated state, and a few of them smoking ganja using hookah. The powder-like substance was lying there along with folded papers used for inhaling drugs,” he said.
“On my request, one student lowered the volume but another student named Uvais abused him with filthy words and forced him to increase the volume. When I requested Uvais to lower the volume he refused to do so and started hurling bad words. This resulted in a verbal argument between us. I pretended to call the police hoping that they will listen to me. But instead, they became violent and pushed me out of their room,” he said.
Informing further Velip said, “Since I couldn’t concentrate on my studies due to loud music I thought of going back to the reading room which is about one km away from my hostel room. When I came out of the room and started walking towards the reading room, all 7-8 students came out of their room and started following me. Afraid that they will definitely hurt me, I took out my cell phone and threatened that I will call the police”.
“Seeing everyone walking towards me in spite of threatening to call the police, I threatened them that I will shoot the video and report this to the college authorities,” he said.
“Suddenly, one of the students (I don’t know his name as all were not from the same hostel) charged at me menacingly pulled my phone and punched me in my face. The others joined him and assaulted me with fist blows and started kicking me violently,” Velip said.
“I tried to escape from the hostel passage when one of them dragged and pushed me down the staircase. I went unconscious and don’t remember what happened after that. Eyewitnesses told me that the accused were kicking me violently when I was lying unconscious on the ground. They said I was left to mercy when some other students living on the same floor tried to separate them,” he said.
Velip said, “I ran out from the hostel building when I gained consciousness and called up the police. My nose was bleeding, one eye was swollen, and I couldn’t even move. I got multiple bruises on my abdomen and face. I cannot breathe through the left part of my nose.”
When the police arrived, they asked me to identify the culprits. I pointed out four students. There were 7 to 8 students involved in the assault, but I couldn’t identify all of them, he said.
Velip said he narrated the entire incident to the four-member internal inquiry committee and charged that after four students were rusticated, one of the committee members Dr. Tiwari allegedly threatened him for filing an FIR and for filming the video of “wrongdoings” happening in the hostel. He claimed that this member was actually defending the rusticated boys
On the other hand, the Agassaim Police said that the blood sample of the four accused was sent for medical examination at Asilo Hospital, Mapusa, and reports of test samples are awaited.
PSI Pritesh Madgaonkar, who is investigating the case said, “Velip had assaulted four medical students and the medical examination of Velip has been done.” He said it was a simple assault case requiring no medical examination of the accused.
There seems to be a clear gap between what the police are saying, and the direct and open charge that the victim is making, as GMC plunges further into this controversy.
Ragged and assaulted, Sameer Velip charges
(Disclaimer: These are allegations made by Velip only, not endorsed by Herald)
*The four medical students, rusticated for assaulting him in the boys’ hostel are freely roaming on the campus, Velip says he has video evidence
*Assistant hostel warden is threatening him not to make any video evidence public
* Accused medical students were not sent for the medical examination despite knowing that they are intoxicated
4 accused do not stay in the hostel anymore- Sandeep Sardesai Chairman of the Internal Inquiry committee
*Four accused medical students were expelled upon inquiry and they don’t stay in the hostel anymore
*Sameer Velip had submitted the medical test reports at the time of internal inquiry
*Four medical accused students did not furnish medical test examination reports to the internal inquiry panel
*Rustication order was served to the accused based on circumstantial evidence (looking at the injuries caused to the victim), a copy of FIR, and a medical examination certificate
*Further investigation will be done by police as a police case has been lodged by both the parties
(Medical examination was done at GMC Casualty)
Cops term it as a “simple” assault case though Velip was brutally beaten up
Agassaim PI
Tulsidas Naik
*Made no clear statement about the Sameer Velip assault case but said it was Velip who assaulted the four medical students
*Police found no need of doing the medical examination of four medical students as it was a simple assault case.
*At the same time, PI said the medical examination reports say “simple assault”
This cop makes the assaulted as accused: ‘Velip assaulted the four boys who are rusticated
PSI Pritesh Madgaonkar
*This PSI turned the case on its head. He first gave no reply when asked about Velip getting assaulted but flipped the argument to say “Velip is the main accused who assaulted the four medical students and it is not the other way round”
