The joint action committee comprised of the DHE, Jagdish Arora, Registrar, Education (Colleges) and Dr Puneet Bedi, Principal, MCM DAV College.

After hearing both sides of the complainant as well as college authorities, the committee found two girls, Ritu and Jyoti, guilty of assaulting Priyanka Singh, a student of BA Part III.

“After studying the representation of both the Administration and the college authorities, misbehaviour by the two girls has been proven beyond doubt,” reads the report.

The girls have been asked by the committee to undertake community service.

The committee has also asked the guilty students to tender a written apology to Priyanka and furnish an undertaking to the principal that they will not indulge in any kind of misbehaviour in the future and that they will not cause any harm to any individual in the college or otherwise.”

Any deviation from this undertaking will lead to appropriate punishment and the entries would be made in their character certificates,” the report says.

“Ritu and Jyoti will spend 10 hours each doing community service on a project to be monitored by the DHE herself. The location will be kept confidential in order to protect their identity. The aim of this direction is not punitive. It must be seen as a positive step towards channelising their free time towards a good cause and adding a new dimension to their personalities. Somewhere, it will give them scope for reflection and a chance to make a contribution to society,” states the report.

The committee has also asked the college to take measures to improve the atmosphere in the campus.

According to the report, a series of confidence-enhancing measures are required to be drawn up and implemented. The principal will also put up an advisory on the notice board emphasising the security and dignity of thestudents and others on the campus and in it’s immediate vicinity.

Any student/individual indulging in unlawful acts or those that lower the dignity of others on campus, will be severely punished.

The advisory must mention the punishment as well, the report says.

The committee has also asked the college to set up a reliable mechanism for grievance redressal so that students who come from non-influential backgrounds do not feel insecure.

“The principal must review security measures within the college and in the immediate vicinity of the college in consultation with the local police. The college cannot disown responsibility for incidents involving its students that occur in it’s vicinity,” recommends the committee.

It may be recalled that Priyanka Singh had accused the girls of physically assaulting her as a fallout of the student council elections that were held in September. The complainant had approached the DHE as she was unhappy with the way the college had handled her complaint.