College mediates, but victim’s mom says NC to stay

A day after Sheldon Pereira, 20, a first-year diploma student of electronics from St Xavier’s Technical Institute in Mahim, filed a police complaint against a senior for beating him up, the college said it was a “mutual fight between the two” and warned them not to repeat such behaviour.

Though Sheldon’s mother Maria accepted the college’s decision, she wants to retain the non-cognisable case (NC) against Bradely Dennis as a precaution.

“I do not have time to go to the college again and again to prove my point. The college authorities have promised me that they will take care of my son’s safety and hence, I agreed to end the matter,” said Maria. “But the NC shall remain. So, if anything happens in future, we do not have to prove our point again.”

On Monday, Sheldon filed an NC with the Mahim police against his senior. Sheldon claimed that within days of joining the college, Bradely Dennis, his senior, thrashed him outside the canteen after he expressed a desire to play carrom in the common room for boys on September 14. Pereira claimed he started getting threatening calls after he complained to the principal. His family also claimed that Sheldon was so traumatised after the incident that he stopped attending college for a week and did not even appear for his exam on Monday.

On Tuesday, principal Shivaji Ghungrad called those involved in the brawl and their parents to the college. “After hearing all versions, it seems that it was a mutual fight between students and it did not take place on the college campus. Both of them have agreed to end the matter. However, I have warned them not to repeat such behaviour. We hope they will eventually be friends with each other. Sheldon has been asked to start attending lectures regularly, without any fear,” he said.