IIT Mandi punishes students for ragging incident; suspends 10 for 6 months

Some of the punished students have appealed to the institute for a reconsideration of the punishment, sources said

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has banned interaction between senior batches and first-year students for a whole semester and initiated disciplinary action against 72 students, including the suspension of 10 students for six months, in response to allegations of ragging during a "freshers' mixer" held last month, reported The Indian Express.

While the incident is said to have occurred on August 11, IIT-Mandi Director, Professor Laxmidhar Behera, said in an email addressed to all students on August 20 that the seniors had crossed the line and 72 of them were found "guilty of participating in ragging to various degrees".

The senior students have also been handed varying degrees of punishment, which includes a fine of Rs 15,000 and 20 hours of community service; a fine of Rs 20,000 and 40 hours of community service; a fine of Rs 25,000 and 60 hours of community service; and a six-month suspension from academics and hostel.

The 10 suspended students, including three student body office-bearers who were in charge of organising the "freshers' mixer," have been stripped of their posts. They have also vacated their hostel rooms.

Sources told the Indian Express that some of the punished students have appealed to the institute for a reconsideration of the punishment. 

In their defence, the students said that a prank played on new students every year during the "freshers' mixer" was misinterpreted as ragging.

IIT-Mandi took action after investigating anonymous complaints regarding the event organised by senior students on August 11.

What happened at IIT Mandi's freshers' mix?

At the event meant to introduce the new batch to seniors, first-year students of IIT Mandi were allegedly shouted at, and some were punished by being made to stand in a corner, reported the Indian Express.

During the institute's investigation into the charges, senior students defended themselves by saying this was a prank typically played on freshers every year during the "mixer", where they are initially intimidated only to be told later that it was a joke, but it was misunderstood this time.

Recalling the event, a first-year student told the media outlet, "The seniors first instructed us to turn off our phones and then told us to place our hands on the table to prevent anyone from recording the event. Subsequently, an image of a middle finger appeared on the displayed slide." Following this, the senior students allegedly started shouting at the freshers.

"They called us to the stage and raised some of the questions we had asked in a Google Form before the event started. They made some of us stand in a corner or assume a semi-squat position," another student said.

"Many of us were okay, but a few of my friends were a bit traumatised by the shouting," said a third student.

The event, which also featured performances by different cultural clubs of the institute, reportedly ended abruptly after the institute security got all students to vacate the venue on grounds of overcrowding. 

Meanwhile, some senior students said that the abrupt end led to confusion and didn't allow them to explain to the freshers that it was a prank.