Team Herald
PANJIM: Initially brushed under the carpet, the ragging incident at Goa’s College of Architecture, Altinho, has resurfaced following mounting dissatisfaction among parents over the handling of the internal inquiry, who alleged that the perpetrators were let off lightly and that their children continue to suffer emotional trauma.
The incident occurred during a fresher’s party held in September last year at a private venue in the city. At least 24 first-year students submitted a three-page complaint to the principal, accusing several senior students and a visiting faculty member of ragging and sexual harassment during the event.
A day after filing the complaint, the victims informed their course coordinator - who was not present at the party - that they were willing to withdraw the complaint, provided the senior students and their parents issued a formal apology and the visiting faculty member was removed from teaching responsibilities. The conditions were met: the faculty member resigned, and apologies were offered.
The matter may have faded into obscurity if not for the intervention of activist and former Goa Government Employees Association president, John Nazareth.
“Some parents approached me with serious concerns. I immediately wrote to the college and filed an RTI request, which was denied. I have now appealed the denial. I was also called by the Secretary (Education), to whom I explained what the parents told me. Their children continue to suffer from the psychological effects of the abuse,” Nazareth told O Heraldo.
Nazareth claims that the college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under the POSH Act was constituted only after his intervention. The committee subsequently barred the visiting faculty from teaching first-year students and prohibited him from entering the campus.
The ICC’s findings stated that the fresher’s party was an unofficial event, organised privately by senior students without the college’s knowledge or approval. The visiting faculty, it claimed, attended in a personal capacity and was not deputed by the institution.
However, allegations have surfaced suggesting that the college may have partially funded the event - raising questions about the extent of institutional involvement.
Despite this, the principal informed the committee that no further action was needed, citing the apologies rendered and the resignation of the visiting faculty as sufficient resolution.
Nazareth obtained documents under the Right To Information (RTI) Act that revealed inconsistencies in the college’s reporting to Goa University. While the principal’s October 2024 report claimed that no ragging had occurred and that the institution maintained constant vigilance, Goa University pointed out that reports for July, August, and September were not submitted.
The Panjim Police confirmed that a Lady PSI was part of the ICC and that a closure report had been submitted regarding the incident.
Nazareth criticised the lack of accountability, particularly regarding the role of the first-year coordinator. “Even if the coordinator wasn’t officially ordered to attend the event, they are responsible for anything related to first-year students. Only a thorough investigation will uncover whether the coordinator was instructed to attend, and how the visiting faculty was present if it was indeed an unofficial event,” he said.
The college sources informed that an inquiry was conducted and submitted compliance to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and State government and took action. The first-year students wrote stating that they no longer wish to pursue the complaint.
Meanwhile, a government official - speaking on condition of anonymity - confirmed that the government is investigating the matter, citing the “complexities involved” and the need for clarity on the sequence of events and administrative responsibility.