A second-year Fine Arts student at Jahangirnagar University (2023-24 session, 53rd batch), Pranto Ray, has accused two senior students of ragging him, the university said on Tuesday.

The accused are student parliament leaders of Fajilatunnesa Hall—Vice President (VP) Aishi Sarker Athi and Assistant General Secretary (AGS) Proma Raha.

Athi is a fourth-year student (49th batch) and Raha is a third-year student (50th batch) of the Fine Arts Faculty.

The university’s Proctor, Professor AKM Rashidul Alam, confirmed that the complaint has been received.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on August 27 during Pranto’s final exam while he faced ragging, threats and mental harassment by the two seniors.

Pranto stated in the complaint that students of the 51st batch, Noman and Arian, forcibly took him and his classmates to the gallery during the exam.

There, Athi mocked his appearance, saying, “His face has been like this since birth.”

Meanwhile, Sijan from the 51st batch kicked him and threatened to expel him from the department.

Noman also shouted at everyone to leave the exam hall, disrupting the examination environment and preventing Pranto from completing his exam smoothly.

Pranto told UNB, “We come to the university to study. Such ragging seriously damages our safety, dignity and mental health. The accused should face strict action and strong anti-ragging policies must be enforced to ensure our security.”

Responding to the allegations, Athi said, “The complaint misrepresents my words. It was not ragging, bullying, or body shaming. About fifty students were present that day, but only a few of us were named in the complaint.”

Raha said, “The incident was unintended. We expressed regret to the department. Some of the claims against me were discussed with Pranto later, yet my name was still included. I hope for a fair decision.”

Fine Arts Department Chair, Professor Shamim Reza, said, “We initially tried to resolve the matter internally, but the student approached the proctor.”

Proctor Professor AKM Rashidul Alam said, “Ragging is not tolerated at this university and such incidents have been rare in recent years. The university has anti-ragging policies and action will be taken after investigation.”