Five senior students arrested for ragging juniors at Kerala nursing college

Five third-year students have been arrested for allegedly ragging first year students at the Government Nursing College in Kerala's Kottayam, police said on Feb 12.

Police registered a case after three first-year students lodged a complaint alleging that the ragging had been going on for nearly three months at the institute.

According to the complaint, the ragging began last November.

The students alleged that they were forced to stand naked and were subjected to brutal acts using dumbbells meant for weightlifting.

Further allegations include injuries inflicted using compasses and similar objects followed by the application of lotion on the wounds.

Additionally, they were forced to have cream applied to their faces, heads, and mouths.

The complaint also states that senior students regularly extorted money from juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol and frequently assaulted them.

Unable to bear the harassment any longer, three students finally lodged the complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police.

The arrests come close on the heels of the University Grants Commission (UGC) issuing show-cause notices to 18 medical colleges for not complying with anti-ragging regulations.

"It was found that these colleges had not complied with the mandatory requirements set forth in the Anti-Ragging Regulations, 2009 for curbing the menace of ragging. Specifically, it has come to our notice that the institutions failed to obtain the anti-ragging undertakings from students as required by the said regulations," UGC Secretary Manish Joshi said.

The Anti-Ragging Regulations, 2009 mandate that every student and their parents and guardians must submit an anti-ragging undertaking at the time of admission and at the beginning of every academic year.

"This undertaking is a crucial measure to prevent and deter any incidents of ragging within educational institutions. The failure to secure these undertakings not only constitutes non-compliance with the regulations but also puts the well-being and safety of the students at risk," Joshi said.

The colleges have been directed to submit a written explanation within seven days from the date of receiving the notice, detailing the reasons for the lapse and the steps they intend to take to immediately rectify this situation.

"Failure to provide a satisfactory explanation within the stipulated time frame will compel us to proceed with further necessary actions as per the provisions of the Anti-Ragging Regulations, 2009, including but not limited to the imposition of penalties and other corrective measures," Joshi added.

(PTI)