KOLKATA: Two students of Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Bhubaneswar, who were ragged by their batchmates and returned home fearing for life, want to go back to the institute only if the accused are expelled. Both the students also stressed on an effective anti-ragging committee probe so that their career isn’t spoiled. Both felt that their dreams would be shattered, if they couldn’t go back to the institute.IITTM on Wednesday suspended four of its students on charges of physical and mental harassment on their batchmates at the makeshift dormitory to accommodate the firstyear students of the institute. The parents of the harassed students also lodged a complaint with the Khandagiri police station against the four students following medical examination.IITTM officials told the parents of the victims that expulsion of the students depends entirely on the report by the committee formed to probe into the incident. If the committee finds the allegation true and a fit case for expulsion, the accused will be expelled, nodal officer S K Lenka told the parents of Srinath Das, one of the harassed students.“We are scared. The way these four students assaulted their batchmates and threatened to ‘bump him off’ quite a number of times, we don’t feel the place is safe for Srinath, who is shy and serious about his studies. This is why we are waiting for the probe committee report to ascertain our next move,” said Hema Das, Srinath’s mother. Srinath, she said, is heartbroken with his dream getting shattered. Srinath was still insisting that he would go back to institute and would never venture out of the campus.“This is an absurd idea. How could you survive without venturing out of the hostel? And, you won’t get hostel from the second year,” said another victim, Suman Barik from Jhargram . “It is not possible to live under constant fear. This is why we have insisted on the expulsion of the students. It would also be an excellent example for anti-ragging movement,” said Das.

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