11 named in FIR after Cotton University student alleges assault inside SNBC hostel

Guwahati, Sept 11: The Panbazar police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 11 individuals, including current and former students of Cotton University, following allegations of abduction and assault inside the SNBC hostel, officials said on Thursday.

The charges include wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation, confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitabh Basumatary, adding that the FIR names six non-boarder students, two boarder students, and three former students.

“The accused students were instructed to appear at the police station but failed to comply. We then sent the ACP and OC to the hostel, with the permission of the hostel warden, to bring the accused to the station. The college Registrar was also summoned. No assault materials were recovered during the search,” Basumatary told the press.

Complainant Debashish Barman. (AT Photo)

The FIR follows a complaint by Debashish Barman, a Cotton University student.

Barman alleged that on September 8, around 6 pm, 11 students, including several former students, abducted him, confined him in a hostel room, and physically assaulted him.

“Several of them dragged me by my legs and beat me with a guitar. While assaulting me, my shirt was torn off. They also threatened to kill me and attempted to coerce me into making an obscene video,” Barman said.

Barman, a former SNBC hostel resident, had planned to contest the student union elections from the SNBC hostel. After reportedly failing to gain support from SNBC hostel students, he is said to have worked against the hostel’s interests in the elections and is currently backed by SRB Hostel.

Despite the allegations, the Cotton University Students’ Union has announced that the elections for several posts will proceed as scheduled. Voting is set for September 24 and counting and result declaration to follow the next day.