Bhopal/Anuppur: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav has taken serious note of the shocking alleged assault on a postgraduate student from Assam at the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Lalpur, Pushprajgarh Amarkantak, Anuppur district.
Expressing strong condemnation, the Chief Minister posted on his X handle that the university administration has promptly initiated disciplinary measures against the accused students, making it clear that “no one involved will be spared” and that strict action will be ensured to uphold justice and campus safety.
The victim, Hiros Jyoti Das, a 22-year-old first-year Master’s student in Economics and a cadet of NCC, resident of village Kamari, Balipara (Assam), was brutally attacked in the early hours of January 13, around 3-4 a.m., inside his room at the Guru Gobind Boys’ Hostel (GGBH).
According to Das’s detailed statement to the police, he had briefly stepped out to use the bathroom and returned to find several unknown men already inside his room. They began interrogating him aggressively about his name, background, and place of origin.
Upon learning he was from Assam and had completed his undergraduate studies at the same university before enrolling in the postgraduate programme, the situation turned violent. The assailants, who were reportedly heavily under the influence of some intoxicant, allegedly bound his hands, punched and kicked him repeatedly in the face, and issued chilling life threats.
The assault resulted in severe injuries, including a fractured nose, swelling and blood clots in both eyes, Das stated before police.
Traumatised and in pain, Das first received initial treatment at the university dispensary before being transferred to the district hospital in Gaurela, Chhattisgarh (located closer to the campus than the Anuppur facility) for advanced medical care.
Speaking to IANS, Moti Ur Rahman, Superintendent of Police (SP), said, medical report has not confirmed any fracture. The students have been served summons, and have been rusticated from the university. A challan will be put up before the court against the five accused — Anurag Pandey, Jatin Singh, Rajnish Tripathi, Vishal Yadav, and Utkarsh Singh — all local residents of Anuppur district.
The incident sparked immediate and intense protests on the IGNTU campus, with students reaching the administrative building, surrounding the registrar’s office, and demanding swift justice.
The university administration launched an internal inquiry, aided by CCTV footage from the hostel premises, which helped identify the perpetrators.
As a result, police registered an FIR at the Amarkantak police station late on January 14 (shortly before midnight) based on Das’s complaint, charging the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including voluntarily causing hurt (Section 115(2)), obscene acts and words (Section 296), criminal intimidation (Section 351(3)), and common intention (Section 3(5)).
“No arrests had been made as punishment is less than seven years; also, they are students,” the police officer said.
Meanwhile Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly and senior Congress leader, Umang Singhar, posted on his X handle that in the hostel of the university, which has become a “stronghold of the BJP and the RSS, some unruly students made racist remarks against Jyoti Das, and when he protested, he was severely beaten.”
The students allege that some unruly youths associated with the ruling party consume drugs on campus, engage in violence against students, and the university administration merely goes through the motions in the name of taking action, he said. However, in FIR, Das has made no statement regarding racial discrimination.
(IANS)
