VARANASI - Four engineering students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) were arrested Tuesday for allegedly ragging a first-year student outside the varsity campus, police said. The university has also decided to rusticate them.

The four students - two of B.Tech third year and two of the first year - allegedly assaulted the fresher Monday and forced him to dance like a male stripper outside the university campus in this city, about 250 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

“We have decided to rusticate the four students involved in the incident,” BHU’s chief proctor H.C.S. Rathore told reporters.

He said the four students have been booked under the anti-ragging Act and thrown out of the university hostel. “A decision in this regard has been taken at a meeting chaired by vice-chancellor D.P. Singh.”

This is the third incident of ragging on the BHU campus in less than two months.

“The students Monday evening forced a fresher to act like a male stripper outside the varsity campus. We today (Tuesday) morning booked and arrested them under the anti-ragging Act,” Varanasi’s Superintendent of Police Vijay Bhushan told IANS.

Besides assaulting the fresher, the four forcibly took Rs.1,100 and a mobile phone from him. The students also threatened the fresher with dire consequences if he failed to arrange Rs.5,000 for them, he added.

The four students punished are S.Harsha, a third year B.Tech student of mechanical engineering; P. Kishore, a third year B. Tech student of electrical engineering; K. Raja and Guruprasad B., both enrolled in first year B.Tech of chemical engineering.

A total of 15 students are already facing punishment in two other ragging cases reported from the varsity July 29 and Aug 9.