Thiruvananthapuram: In growing incidents of cruel ragging in Kerala, a few first year students of the Government Nursing College in Kottayam had to endure extreme torture at the hands of their seniors, including hanging dumbbell from their private parts after they were stripped naked.
As they cried out in pain unable to bear the weight of the dumbbells, the seniors poked them with compasses in geometry boxes at various parts till blood oozed. And as the blood oozed from the wounds, burning lotion was applied forcing them to scream in pain. When the screaming became loud, the seniors reportedly poured the lotion into their mouths.
The seniors allegedly filmed these acts and threatened the juniors with dire consequences, including jeopardising their academic futures, if they dared to report the abuse.
The unending ragging continued for three months. They were also beaten using various objects. The first year students were also subjected to continuous mental abuse.
The police have arrested five third-year nursing students and taken them for detailed interrogation, reports said.
The students were ragged for not paying enough money as the seniors wanted to buy liquor, reflecting the growing addiction among students to alcohol and drugs in the state.
The incident came to light when one of the students, unable to bear the harassment any longer, informed his father, who then encouraged him to approach the police. “It is sad and painful that my son had to undergo such unimaginable torture,” the father told TV channels.
The students who were subjected to ragging were all from the state capital and the incidents came to light when they filed a formal complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police. According to the complaint, the series of cruel and violent acts that began in November 2024 continued for nearly three months.
The complaint led to the suspension of the senior students and they were arrested under the Anti-Ragging Act.
All five are currently in police custody and are expected to be produced before a magistrate by Wednesday afternoon.
The incident comes weeks after a 15-year-old schoolboy in Kochi died by suicide. The student’s mother alleged that her son was bullied by students which pushed him towards his death.
His family reported that he was subjected to severe physical and verbal abuse, including being forced to lick a toilet seat and having his head pushed into the toilet while it was flushed. The family has since demanded justice and an impartial investigation into the matter.
In February last year, Sidharthan, a 20-year-old veterinary science student of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, was found dead in his hostel in Pookode, Wayanad.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) branch at the university was accused of ragging Sidharthan because he dared to dance with some senior female students at a Valentine’s Day event.
One of the reasons for increasing incidents of ragging is because the perpetrators of the crime enjoy political patronage.
