Kerala ragging horror: 5 students of Kottayam college held as chilling video surfaces

Dubai: A shocking video has emerged from a nursing college in Kottayam, in south Indian state of Kerala, showing senior students brutally ragging a junior.

The victim was tied to a bed, stabbed with a compass, and subjected to other forms of torture. Five students have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

The disturbing visuals, aired on Malayalam TV channels, sent shockwaves across the state.

In the video, senior students were seen laughing and making lewd comments while the victim was tied to a bed and left naked.

According to police, six first-year students were subjected to inhumane ragging. The accused allegedly used a geometry divider to inflict wounds, poured lotion on them, and rubbed cream on the victims’ faces and other body parts. They also threatened the victims with a knife and extorted money, reportedly collecting funds from juniors to buy liquor.

The accused also placed a dumbbell on the victim’s genitals, and the video showed a cloth clip hanging from nipple, with one of the tormentors tugging at them. Police are investigating not only the assault but also who filmed the video and how it was made public.

Authorities are also probing whether there are more victims who endured similar torture.

Kottayam Superintendent of Police Shahul Hameed said the incident came to light on February 11 when a complaint was filed, leading to the arrests the next day, according to IANS news agency.

“We have confiscated the mobile phones of the arrested students and are investigating who recorded and shared the visuals,” said Hameed.

He said that lapses on part of the college authorities and warden of the men’s hostel in preventing the frime will also be probed.

The arrested students are: Samuel Johnson (20) – Valakom, Kottayam; Rahul Raj (22) – Malappuram; Jeeva (18) – Wayanad; Rijil Jith (20) – Malappuram; and Vivek NV (21) – Koruthode, Kottayam.

They have been booked under the BNS Sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons), 308(2) (extortion), 351(1) (criminal intimidation), and Sections 3 & 4 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998.

Among the allegations is a charge that seniors extorted money from the juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol. Those who refused were beaten up.

The incident came to light when one student could not bear the torture anymore and opened up to his father. His father then encouraged him to approach the police.

According to an Onmanorama report, an ex-soldier and father of one of the victims, never suspected anything unusual when his son came home or spoke to him on the phone.

It wasn’t until he received a call from a college staff member that he learned of the abuse his son and his friends had been enduring every night for the past three months in the hostel.

The faculty member informed him that a complaint had been filed with the police. “I was completely in the dark. The faculty said they were being hurt for three months. When I asked my son about this, he said he was too scared to speak up. The seniors had threatened him and his friends,” the father said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of the case and has asked the state government to submit a report within 10 days.

The victim students had initially approached the college’s anti-ragging committee, which confirmed the allegations and informed the police.

Investigating officer Pradeep Lal V stated that the ragging had been ongoing since November last year.

Principal-in-charge Lini Joseph said the accused students have been suspended, and a report has been submitted to Kerala University of Health Sciences and the district police chief.

However, serious questions are being raised about the role of hostel authorities, as the incidents occurred near the warden’s accommodation.

The case comes at a time when the Kerala High Court has been taking a tough stance on ragging.

On February 6, a division bench stayed an order allowing the re-admission of 18 students from the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, implicated in the suicide of junior student J.S. Sidharthan.

Reacting to the latest case, Sidharthan’s mother, Sheeba, told the media that hearing the cries of the nursing students on TV reminded her of her son’s suffering.

Student organisations, including the Students Federation of India (SFI), have condemned the incident. “This is a cruel act, and we do not support or protect students who engage in ragging,” said SFI Kerala unit President P.M. Arsho.

As investigations continue, authorities face mounting pressure to ensure strict enforcement of anti-ragging laws and hold those responsible accountable.