Kerala college ragging horror: First year students endured months of torture; more disturbing details emerge

Kottayam: Five third-year students from the Government College of Nursing have been arrested following a complaint from junior students alleging extreme ragging. The incident reportedly involved severe physical abuse, including the horrifying act of tying dumbbells to the victims’ private parts.

The arrested students have been identified as Samuel Johnson (20) from Valakom, Kottayam; Rahul Raj (22) from Malappuram; Jeeva (18) from Wayanad; Rijil Jith (20) from Malappuram; and Vivek NV (21) from Koruthode, Kottayam. They were remanded in judicial custody in the evening and later transferred to the district jail.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 118(1) for voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or harmful means, Section 308(2) for extortion, and Section 351(1) for criminal intimidation. Additionally, they face charges under Sections 3 and 4 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998.

Kerala: Dumbbells hung on private parts, injuries inflicted with compass; 5 students detained for ragging

Details of Ragging:

According to police reports, six first-year students were subjected to extreme physical torture as part of a brutal ragging incident. The accused allegedly forced the victims to strip naked and hung dumbbells from their private parts.

Additionally, they are accused of using a geometry divider to inflict injuries on the victims' bodies. After tying them to cots in their hostel rooms, the perpetrators poured lotion on the wounds, intensifying their suffering.

The complaint revealed further disturbing details, stating that the accused forced the victims to apply cream on their mouths and other body parts. They also allegedly threatened them with a knife and extorted money.

According to reports, the senior students regularly collected money from juniors to fund their drinking sessions on Sundays. Some of these cruel acts were recorded on mobile phones, and the police have seized the visuals as evidence.

The arrests were carried out by a team led by Gandhinagar Station House Officer T. Sreejith. According to the FIR, the first-year students had been enduring the brutal ragging since November last year. However, the college authorities were only recently made aware of the incidents.

Lini Joseph, the principal-in-charge, stated that the accused students were suspended following an internal investigation conducted by senior professors. A detailed report on the incident has been submitted to the Kerala University of Health Sciences and the district police chief for further action.

Police Suspicion:

The police are set to widen their investigation into the ragging incident at the Government Nursing College. The probe team has decided to gather more information from additional hostel students and faculty members. Meanwhile, the Medical Education Department has also appointed a special team to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the case.

Even though students endured ragging for over three months, it remains suspicious that neither hostel authorities nor faculty members claim to have been aware of the incidents. Notably, the college principal also serves as the hostel warden, while an assistant warden, another faculty member, is responsible for overseeing hostel affairs. The police are also questioning how alcohol was frequently brought into the hostel, which houses only a limited number of students, without any action being taken.

According to statements from the victims, they remained silent due to fear of their seniors. The police are also investigating whether other students in the college have faced similar abuse. Since the case has now been officially registered and the accused have been remanded, authorities believe more students may come forward with complaints. This has prompted an intensified investigation focusing on both the college and the hostel.

The police will conduct a detailed interrogation of the assistant warden of the hostel as part of the ongoing investigation. Authorities have also seized the mobile phones of all five accused students. The devices, which reportedly contain videos of the victims being harassed, will be sent for forensic examination.

Additionally, the police have obtained evidence confirming that the accused extorted money from first-year students through Google Pay transactions. While the suspects remain in judicial custody, they will only be taken into police custody if further interrogation is deemed necessary.

Meanwhile, the Medical Education Department has appointed a five-member committee to investigate the newly surfaced allegations. The Director of Medical Education has instructed the panel to submit its report at the earliest.