Ragging at Nursing College in Kerala: Junior student tortured, pierced with compass

KOTTAYAM: The disturbing visuals of brutal ragging inflicted on junior students at the Government Nursing College by seniors surfaced on Thursday. According to footage received by the Gandhinagar police, the victim was stripped naked and subjected to horrifying acts, including having dumbbells placed on his private parts after being tied to a cot and having facial cream poured into his mouth while his body was repeatedly pierced with a compass.

The junior student—lying on the bed with lotion all over his body and his hands and legs tied with a rope—screamed in pain, unable to move, according to the visuals aired by TV channels. The senior students then pierced various parts of the junior student's body with a compass, counting aloud, "one, two, three".

As the victim screamed in pain, the accused mocked him, taunting and insulting him by calling him a "sexy body". The video recorded by third-year students captured this brutal act of ragging, police said. The abuse took place in the boys' hostel targeting first-year nursing students.

One of the arrested students was an office-bearer of a nursing student organisation, police said. The police arrested five third-year students on Wednesday for allegedly ragging first-year students. The arrested students have been identified as Samuel Johnson (20), Rahul Raj (22), Jeev (18), Rijil Jith (20), and Vivek (21).

According to the complaint, the ragging began in November last year. Kottayam District Police Chief Shahul Hameed stated that police are investigating whether more students were subjected to ragging. "The case has been registered based on a complaint from one student but we will record statements from others to determine if there are more victims," he said.

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Senior students extorted money from freshers to buy alcohol

Speaking to reporters, Hameed added that the investigation will also examine whether there were any lapses on the part of the college authorities. A case has been registered under the Prohibition of Ragging Act following a complaint that the ragging had been ongoing for nearly three months at the nursing institute, which operates under the Government Medical College.

The accused have also been booked under Sections 118(1), 308(2), 351(1), and 3(5) of the BNS, police said. The accused students have been suspended, college authorities confirmed. The complaint also stated that senior students regularly extorted money from juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol and frequently assaulted them.

On November 16, the accused allegedly forced a first-year student to transfer Rs 300 via Google Pay and hand over Rs 500 in cash under threats. Police revealed that the money was used to purchase alcohol.

College authorities stated that the affected students had not informed hostel officials, teachers or parents about the abuse. Upon receiving the complaint, the college promptly took action. After the allegations were confirmed during the investigation, the case was handed over to the police, they added.