The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In an incident that has raised concerns over student safety and hostel security, a 22-year-old first-year, student of Norbuling Rigter College was violently assaulted in his hostel room in the early hours of 31st March 2026, leaving him hospitalized at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) with extensive injuries and inability to speak.
Norbuling Rigter College
The student, who is currently undergoing treatment, has suffered severe head and body injuries, and now communicates by typing on his phone, according to his mother, who recounted the incident on his behalf when approached by this reporter.
The single mother said she received a distressing call from her son’s phone at around 3 am on 31st March 2026.
“One of his friends called and told me my son was in critical condition,” she recounted, struggling to hold back her emotions.
“My son used to speak like any normal child. Now he stammers like a baby speaking for the first time. To talk to us, he has to type everything on his phone,” the mother said.
When this reporter met the victim and his family, they showed pictures of the injuries before bandages covered them, and the extent of his injuries on his head was visibly traumatic with the trauma of the attack cracking open the skull and even impacting brain matter.
Through his phone, the victim typed that the wound required 24 long stitches. On the back of his head, another injury had been closed with six stitches.
His left leg bore another deep wound that appeared almost like a bullet hole or puncture wound, that required seven stitches.
Visible bruises were also seen on the left side of his chest and on his right thigh which were bandaged up.
“He is the younger from the two siblings. To see him lying here unable to speak, unable to walk, and having to type everything on his phone is something no mother should ever have to go through,” the mother said.
According to the family, the victim had remained in his hostel room alone that night while his four roommates had gone home for the Paro Tshechu holidays.
The mother said she learned that before the assault, the two alleged suspects had first asked the victim’s next-door roommate about his whereabouts before approaching his room.
She said the attack began when the window glass of her son’s room was shattered. Moments later, the room door was forcibly opened by the main suspect, who had previously been a roommate with the victim during the first semester before moving out as a day scholar.
Despite moving out, he remained the victim’s classmate.
The victim reportedly woke up and pleaded with the suspect not to do anything rash.
However, the suspect allegedly struck him directly on the head with a metal rod.
The mother said her son was hit a second time on the head, causing him to lose consciousness.
Before fainting, the victim reportedly saw a second individual standing behind the main suspect.
While the first two blows to the head were allegedly delivered by the main suspect, the family believes the victim was repeatedly beaten across his body after he became unconscious by both the suspects.
The assault left the student with 24 stitches on the front of his head, six stitches on the back of his head, and seven stitches on his left leg. He also sustained injuries to his right thigh and leg, and left hand.
The mother, her voice breaking repeatedly during the interview, said the emotional pain of seeing her son in such a condition has been devastating.
She added, “He cannot even stand or walk on his own now. He has to be moved in a wheelchair. Doctors told us that a nerve connected to his speech was damaged when he was hit on the head. They say it may be temporary, but they cannot confirm anything yet.”
Doctors have reportedly informed the family that his recovery, including his ability to walk again, could take more than a year.
The mother said that her son was first rushed to Paro Hospital in an ambulance by his hostel mates and class captain after they found him in a critical condition.
She said that she immediately tried contacting the hostel warden several times while traveling from Thimphu to Paro, but received no response.
The mother said, “I called the warden again and again, but there was no answer. I had to call another person who knew the warden’s wife and beg them to look into what had happened.”
She alleged negligence on the part of the college authorities, saying they failed in their duty to respond promptly and ensure safety.
She further alleged that neither the warden nor any security staff visited the hospital immediately even after knowing about the incident nor in the following days.
By the time she reached Paro Hospital at around 4 am, her son had already been stitched and bandaged and was awaiting further scans before being referred to JDWNRH for emergency treatment.
A family member accompanied the victim to Thimphu, while the mother and her brother remained in Paro to visit the college.
There, she said, security personnel were reluctant to speak with them or provide any information.
After waiting, they met the college president and submitted a written complaint demanding concrete action, particularly regarding the alleged negligence of hostel staff.
The mother said, “I clearly wrote that accountability must be fixed, especially because no warden or security personnel were at the hostel premises during the incident and afterwards with my son at the hospital.”
In the written application submitted to the college, she stated that the attack on her son took place within the college campus, raising alarming questions, not only about student safety and security, but also about what she described as a serious lapse in the college’s responsibility towards its students.
She wrote that rather than receiving a prompt response on accountability and action, she was informed only that the college would ‘work on the matter.’
According to the application, the mother said that her son’s physical and emotional condition remains critical, and the traumatic incident has caused immense distress to the family.
The mother further urged the college to take immediate action, not only in relation to her son’s case but also to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
The family then returned to Thimphu, where the victim underwent a six-hour surgery within an hour of the mother reaching the emergency ward.
Following the operation, he remained in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)for three days.
The mother said she had heard of previous incidents at the college, though these claims were not independently verified.
She also alleged that prior to attacking her son, the main suspect had damaged several vehicles, including a police vehicle. Police sources said the main suspect was linked to vehicle damages.
Although the incident was reported immediately, the main suspect, who had reportedly gone into hiding, was arrested only after three days.
The family has also raised concerns regarding the second alleged suspect.
The mother said that although the second suspect was initially questioned, he was later released and was allowed to sit for examinations.
She insisted that her son, who was the only prime witness and victim, had clearly seen the second individual before losing consciousness and had identified both alleged suspects by typing their names on his phone.
“The way the door was forced open after the glass was shattered, and the way he was beaten all over his body after fainting, clearly shows that my son was not attacked by one person alone,” she said.
The family said they want the second suspect’s role in this crime to be thoroughly investigated.
She said that she also questioned why the college allowed the second alleged suspect to appear for exams despite the seriousness of the allegations.
The assault has also disrupted the victim’s academic future.
According to the family, he had stayed back in the hostel during the Paro Tshechu holiday specifically to complete assignments and prepare for his second-semester examinations, which began on 6th April.
However, due to his condition, he was unable to sit for any of the examinations, which have now concluded.
“All his efforts have gone in vain,” the mother said.
The victim’s uncle said the family remains deeply shaken by the incident.
“My sister has raised him alone as a single parent. If this had resulted in something worse, the pain for her would have been unimaginable,” the uncle of the victim said.
When contacted, the college president said further details regarding the incident, including allegations of negligence and any disciplinary action taken by the institution, could not be disclosed as the matter is already under police investigation, and that the police would be better placed to provide details.
Police sources in Paro confirmed that the main alleged suspect has been arrested, while the second individual has not been detained at this stage due to insufficient evidence. The main suspect is from Trongsa.
As of now, the case remains under investigation by the Paro Police.
