Pune: A dark cloud of anxiety hung over the home of Tanmay Wange’s parents this Diwali as the search for their missing son crossed the four-month mark. The first-year BJ Medical College student from Kolhapur vanished on July 18 after leaving a friend’s residence in Kharadi. His disappearance has left his family clinging to hope amid serious allegations that relentless bullying and ragging by his batchmates drove the young student to flee.Ajay Wange, Tanmay’s father, said, “We have been searching for him in every possible way. We have contacted his hostel batchmates, his distant friends, and all our relatives. His friends told us that he was being bullied and discriminated against because he came from a village, while most of his batchmates were from the city. It has been four months, and we still have no clue about our son.” Ajay Wange has accused a few students of ragging his son, following which he filed a complaint at the Bund Garden police station.Senior inspector Santosh Pandhare of the Bund Garden police station said, “We received a complaint from the father, after which we recorded statements from his hostel roommates and batchmates. We also recorded statements from the faculty and the students whom the family accused of ragging. However, we could not find any evidence of harassment.”The youth was last seen leaving his friend’s place in Kharadi, where a missing person’s complaint has been lodged. Senior Inspector Sanjay Chavan of the Kharadi police station said, “The boy was last seen on July 18, and we have been looking for him ever since. We sent teams to Goa, Nashik, and Beed after analyzing his social media pages and interviewing his friends and family. We also examined CCTV footage and traced his mobile phone location, but we could not find him. His phone was last traced within the jurisdiction of the Uruli Kanchan police station, and we learnt that he had boarded a train heading toward Solapur. However, the cameras at Daund railway station were not operational, so we lost the lead. We have uploaded his contact details and identification numbers to the national grid to ensure we are alerted if any information surfaces.”Dr Eknath Pawar, dean of BJ Medical College, said, “We have been cooperating with the police and providing all necessary details. We are shocked by the student’s disappearance; however, I can assure you that we do not tolerate ragging or bullying. We have a robust complaint redressal mechanism at our college to address any such issues.”For Tanmay’s parents, the wait for answers continues long after the Diwali lights have dimmed. With their son still missing, they hold onto the hope that someone, somewhere, can provide the information that will bring him home.
