Another ragging incident in Kerala as student assaulted, forced to drink spat-on water

A student of a government college at Thiruvananthapuram has alleged that a group of senior subjected him to brutal ragging and forced to drink water spitted by one of them.

Bins Jose, a first-year biotechnology student at Karyavattom Government College, said on Tuesday (February 18) that he was allegedly assaulted, harassed, and threatened by a group of seven senior students on February 11 on the campus.

The incident came to light in the wake of widespread public outcry in Kerala over the brutal physical assault on a junior nursing student at the Government Nursing College in Kottayam.

Also read: Kerala: Dumbbells hung from private parts of freshers; ragging at nursing college

Police complaint lodged

Jose said he has lodged a complaint with the police, and the college authorities on the day of the assault itself. “The incident occurred when I and my friend Abhishek were walking through the campus. A group of seniors stopped us and started beating me. My friend managed to run away from there and went to inform the principal,” he told the media on Tuesday.

The victim accused the seniors of beating him with a bamboo pole and also using a belt. “I was then taken to the unit room and locked up there. My shirt was removed, and they made me kneel. When I asked for water to drink, one of the senior students spat into a half glass of water and gave it,” Jose recalled the harrowing experience on the day.

He also alleged that the senior students threatened him with dire consequences if he told anyone about the incident. They also forced him to file a complaint against his friend, saying it was he who had beaten him up.

Kazhakoottam police said they already registered a case into the incident on February 11 based on various sections of the BNS including rioting, wrongful confinement, and restriction, and so on.

Principal submits report

“As per the provisions of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act 1998, we submitted a request to the unit head of the college (principal) to submit us a report after carrying out an inquiry as to whether any ragging had happened in the institution as stated in the complaint,” a police officer said.

The principal submitted a report in this regard on Monday confirming that the issues mentioned in the student's complaint are correct.

“As soon as we received the report, we added the ragging sections also in the case,” he said. A report regarding the incident would be submitted to the court soon, and further action would be followed, the official added.

Also read: Kerala: Another ragging horror, school boy beaten, hand fractured for 'not respecting seniors'

Anti-ragging cell on cards

Meanwhile, the Kerala general education department will soon introduce anti-ragging cells in state schools. General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the senior department officials will soon submit a proposal on this subject. This move has been taken in view of the persistent problem of bullying in the state's educational institutions.

“To prevent ragging, strict measures need to be taken, along with organising awareness activities and grassroots-level interventions. Therefore, the department of general education is considering introducing anti-ragging cells in every school. The department is planning to form a committee of senior officials to arrive at the structure and functioning of the cells,” Sivankutty said while addressing the Kerala School Teachers’ Association state conference in Kozhikode.