Another ragging case in Kerala: Seniors beat up first-year student, give him water after spitting in it

According to the complainant, the campus had witnessed a clash between seniors and juniors on February 11, after which a first-year student who was injured in the incident complained to the police. Irked by the police complaint, the SFI members allegedly stormed into the hostel, looking for the student who filed it. When they couldn’t find him, they allegedly caught hold of another first-year and took him to a room used by the SFI for organisational activities, the complaint of the victim said.

He alleged that the seniors then beat him and forced him to kneel in front of them for nearly an hour. When he asked for water, one of the seniors allegedly gave him a bottle after spitting in it. He was further beaten up after he refused to drink that, the complaint said.

Before handing over the matter to the police, the anti-ragging cell examined the complaint and checked CCTV clips to verify the veracity of the allegations.

Police have registered a case under the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act and various sections of BNS.

The incident comes almost exactly a year after Sidharthan, a college student in Wayanad, died by suicide on February 18, 2023 after allegedly being ragged. The SFI faced criticism in that case also, and its leadership has since apologised for its members’ involvement in the incident.