‘Ready for consequences if found guilty’: Accused professor in Dharamshala student death

AMid growing calls for justness after the demise of a 19-year-old college pupil in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, the accused help prof, Ashok Kumar, said on Saturday that he was ready to face the consequences if found guilty.The teen college student died on December 26 during treatment in Ludhiana. She had been subjected to ragging by three girls from the college and sexually harassed by the professor.The victim's father filed a complaint against the three students and the professor earlier this week, alleging that the accused "harassed and levelled casteist remarks" at his daughter, HT reported earlier.The Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday suspended the professor, even as he termed the allegations against him "completely false". Earlier in the day, a Dharamshala court granted him anticipatory bail in the case, directing the accused to join the probe into the matter."The allegations against me are completely false. The student was in my class last semester. This semester, she is in another professor's class. I have no connection to this matter," he told reporters after securing the bail.ALSO READ | ‘Sir ajeeb harkatein karte the’: Himachal student recalls sex assault horror in chilling ‘video before death’He told news agency ANI that the investigation into the allegations is underway. "If I am found guilty, I should face the consequences. I am prepared for this. With 26.5 years of teaching experience and countless students, I have never faced such accusations before. Perhaps it was my destiny or karma to endure this stain on my reputation. Now that it has happened, I am fully prepared to confront it," Kumar added.The professor further stated that the government suspended him, likely in the belief that he deserved it, "and I accept that". He added, "Suspension allows for an impartial investigation. The girl should get justice, and I should too."The case gained momentum after a video, allegedly recorded by the student before her death, went viral on social media. She was seen accusing the professor of indecent acts, mental harassment and intimidation when she objected to his behaviour.A complaint was initially received through the Chief Minister's Sankalp Seva Helpline, and an investigation team was formed, police said.The Himachal government on Saturday also formed a four-member panel, under the chairmanship of the additional director of higher education, to conduct a preliminary probe into the student's death.“This committee has been given three days to submit its report to the education secretary. Whoever is found guilty, the government and the education department will take the strictest possible action,” state education minister Rohit Thakur said, adding that a police investigation was also run in parallel.Additionally, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also formed a five-member fact-finding committee to probe the incident.The UGC termed the incident "unfortunate" and said in an office order that the panel will examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, omission and commission on the part of functionaries of the college and people responsible thereof.The college student's death also sparked protests in Dharamshala.Rakesh Pathania, principal of the government college in Dharamshala, informed the deceased student's academic status. "The victim was a first-year student in 2024-2025. After that, in the new session, she attended some second-year classes. However, when her results were released, it was revealed that she had failed three subjects, so she was asked to repeat the first year," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.However, he said, she did not repeat her first year. "We cannot call her our student now, since she didn't take admission. We learned of the incident on December 22, when police visited our college for an investigation. We cooperated fully, unaware of the incident beforehand."