Five students arrested for brutal ragging in Kerala nursing college

Five third-year students have been arrested for allegedly ragging first-year students at the Government Nursing College here, the police said on Wednesday.

A case was registered after three first-year students lodged a complaint, alleging that the ragging had been ongoing for nearly three months at the institute, which functions under the Government Medical College.

The accused students have been suspended, the college authorities said. The action was taken following an inquiry conducted under the anti-ragging law, they added.

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.

The students reported that the incidents involved extreme brutality. They alleged that they were forced to stand naked and subjected to severe physical abuse.

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. 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. The police revealed that the money was used for alcohol consumption. Unable to endure the harassment any longer, three students finally lodged a complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police.

The Kerala nursing college authorities said the affected students had not informed hostel officials, teachers or parents about the abuse.

Upon receiving the complaint, the college promptly took action. Once the investigation confirmed the allegations, the case was handed over to the police, they added.