Kottayam: Health Minister Veena George on Friday said that five students booked for brutally ragging students at Government Nursing College in Kottayam will be expelled from the institution. The minister said that strict inspections would be conducted in all institutions to prevent ragging. 

A team appointed by the Director of Medical Education will visit the college to conduct an inquiry. Deputy Director of Nursing Education will lead the inquiry.

On Friday, SFI activists took a protest march to the Govt. Nursing College over the ragging incident. Police used water canon to disperse the protesters. 

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the case as it sought an action taken report from the state's police chief on Thursday. According to the proceedings of the case, accessed by PTI, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has observed that the allegations, prima facie, constitute a "severe violation of human rights." The rights panel has taken cognisance based on a complaint.

The complainant has alleged that the accused students, who are from Wayanad, Malappuram and Kottayam, "coerced juniors into transferring money" online and "subjected them to physical and mental torture."

"One student was reportedly threatened with a knife to his neck, while others were bound, had lotion poured on their bodies, and were inflicted with sharp weapon wounds," NHRC said.
"These actions are not only morally reprehensible but also illegal," it observed.

Observing the complaint, the panel has taken cognisance of the matter under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It ordered the DGP to conduct a detailed probe and submit a report within 10 days.

The Crime
On Thursday, disturbing visuals of the brutal ragging were aired on news channels. According to footage received by the Gandhinagar police, the victim was stripped half-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. In the visuals, the accused was seen injuring the junior student with a compass and applying Fevicol on the wounds. The students were ragged at the boys' hostel of the nursing college. 

The accused are second-year general nursing students Samuel Johnson (20) and Jeeva NS (19) and third-year students Rahul Raj KP (22), Rijiljith C (21) and Vivek NV (21).

The college principal suspended them after the police registered a case against them under the Prohibition of Ragging Act of 2011.The accused have also been booked under Sections 118(1) (intentionally causing hurt using dangerous weapons or means), 308(2) (punishment for extortion), and 351(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the police said. The arrested are currently in the district jail after being remanded by a court here.