Another Ragging Incident surfaces in Kerala College; Student Alleges Seniors of 'Brutal Assault'

Kerala is once again grappling with a disturbing case of ragging, this time in Kannur district, amid ongoing public outcry over the incident at Kottayam Government Nursing College. A student from a government college has accused senior students of severe ragging, claiming he was specifically targeted. Bins Jose, a first-year biotechnology student at Karyavattom Government College, reported on Tuesday that a group of seven senior students allegedly assaulted, harassed, and threatened him on campus on February 11.

The incident surfaced amidst widespread public outrage in Kerala following a severe physical assault on a junior nursing student at the Government Nursing College in Kottayam. Jose mentioned that he filed a complaint with both the police and college authorities on the day of the assault itself. 

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"The incident happened when I and my friend Abhishek were walking through the campus. Then 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 here on Tuesday. 

The student who was victimized accused the seniors of assaulting him with a bamboo pole and 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. 

"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. 

On Monday, the principal submitted a report confirming that the concerns raised in the student's complaint are accurate. 

"As soon as we received the report, we added the ragging sections also in the case," he said. 

An official mentioned that a report concerning the incident would soon be submitted to the court, after which further actions would be taken.