The Gandhinagar police in Kottayam arrested five third-year nursing students from the College of Nursing at the Government Medical College, Kottayam, on Wednesday (February 12, 2025), following allegations of ragging.
The arrested students have been identified as Samuel John (20) from Moonnilavu, Kottayam, Jeeva (19) from Nadavayal, Wayanad, Vivek (21) from Koruthodu, Kottayam, and two natives of Malappuram — NRijil Jith (20) from Manjeri and Rahul Raj (22) from Wandoor.
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The arrests came after six first-year students filed complaints alleging severe physical and mental harassment since their classes began on November 1.
According to the complainants, the victims were subjected to brutal assault in the college hostel, where they were forced to remain nude and lift weights using their private parts.
The accused also allegedly used sharp-edged tools to injure the victims and extorted ₹800 from each of them every Sunday to buy liquor.
The horrific abuse came to light when one of the victims was assaulted on campus for failing to provide money. Following the assault, the victim contacted his parents, who urged him to file a police complaint.
Initially, the police had treated the incident as a dispute between juniors and seniors. However, as the investigation progressed, they uncovered a case of ragging that had reportedly been ongoing for three months.
Following the investigation, the accused were taken into custody and produced before a magistrate. Meanwhile, the college administration has suspended the students involved, pending further inquiry into the incident.
Published - February 12, 2025 12:53 pm IST
