Kottayam: Kerala heard with shock that the kidneys of a first year student at the Government Polytechnic College, Nattakom in Kottayam were damaged after he was subjected to cruel ragging by seniors.
Now, horrifying details have emerged on the brutal nature of ragging the students underwent.
In the guise of getting acquainted, cruel ragging used to take place at the Nattakom Polytechnic College's hostel. Junior students were stripped naked and subjected to inhuman ragging for hours at a stretch. Students say that a group of SFI workers operating in the hostel used to mete out 'special treatment' for students who belonged to other student organizations.
Ragging started when students joined the college in August and the cruelties continued to such a level that the lives of two students are now in danger.
Recalling that dreaded night
There were nine first-year students in the hostel and on the fateful day, senior students awakened the students who had gone to sleep after food. They were then forcibly taken to the rooms of the seniors. There, they were stripped naked and then subjected to severe torture.
The students claim they were asked to complete 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. They were then asked to run and crawl in the room, said students Avinash and Shyju in their statement to the police. While these tortures were going on, two students collapsed and vomited. They were given ten minutes as ‘rest’ before they were asked to perform the next ‘exercise’ by seniors.
Juniors were first asked to sit in a corner of the room and then asked to stand on one leg. They were then assured that ragging would stop if the juniors could memorize obscene songs sung by the seniors. Those who sang the song with mistakes and those who did not memorize it were subjected to more torture methods.
By 3 am, all students had memorized the song.
The students were then taken to the second level of the hostel to a senior's room. Here they were forced to drink liquor. Some of those who consumed the undiluted liquor vomited upon which they were beaten up by the seniors. They were then taken to the bathroom and bathed together. Only then were they allowed to leave.
Former student led ragging
It is believed that the ragging incident was led by a former student who had left the hostel after completing his course. In their report to the police, Shyju and Avinash said that a former student, who had left the college last year after completing his course, had led the attack.
Ragging victim now in need of dialysis
According to the hospital into which Avinash was admitted, he was admitted in a very weak condition and traces of blood were found in his urine.
Following scanning and blood tests, doctors suspected that his kidneys could have been damaged. When referred to a nephrologist, it was found that alcohol along with some kind of a powder had accumulated in Avinash’s kidneys. He was immediately put through dialysis and might need more dialysis routines to completely get cured.