Pierced with divider, dumbbells on genitals: What's leading to such brutality at Kerala's institutions

Unimaginably brutal acts of ragging are surfacing in Kerala’s schools and colleges. In one case, a student was forced to lick toilet seats; in another, a boy was stripped half-naked and dumbbells were placed on his genitals. Over the past six weeks, six cases of ragging have been reported across the state’s educational institutions. What is more horrific is the magnitude of the violent deeds deployed by the perpetrators for minor reasons, like not providing the seniors' money to celebrate a birthday party, or in some cases, standing up against the ruling political hegemony in the campus.Three cases have emerged from medical colleges under the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS)—Sree Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Government Medical College Konni and Malabar Medical College. Two cases were reported in University of Kerala-affiliated colleges—Sree Narayana College, Varkala, and CSI Institute of Legal Studies.The latest incident took place at the Government College of Nursing, Kottayam, under the directorate of medical education (DME). This was the most brutal of all, in which the victim was pierced and tortured with a divider, and dumbbells were placed on his genitals. medium nocaption118346523 medium nocaption118346563Ragging is now being reported in schools as well. In Kannur, Class XII students broke a junior’s shoulder for allegedly “disrespecting them”. In Kochi last month, a mother claimed her Class IX son took his own life after being bullied at school, though authorities denied any ragging incident. Mihir Ahammed, a Class IX student of Global Public School, jumped to his death from the 26th floor of his Kochi apartment. His parents alleged he was ragged by seniors, forcibly taken to the washroom, and humiliated.In February 2024, JS Sidharthan (21) was stripped, humiliated and brutally assaulted with belts and cable wires during a public trial at the College of Veterinary College in Pookode. Later, he was found hanging in the hostel bathroom.In 90% of cases, both victims and perpetrators are male, with colleges — under the University Grants Commission (UGC) being the main hotspots. Unlike the national trend, where medical colleges report the highest ragging cases, Kerala sees fewer incidents in these institutions. medium nocaption118346553The rise in student drug and alcohol abuse is also a major concern. “Drug addiction may also be fuelling violence on campuses. We must act immediately to prevent this dangerous trend,” said KUHS vice chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal, who is also the vice-chancellor of the University of Kerala.Gaurav Singal from Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE), an anti-ragging NGO, pointed out systemic failures: “At present Kerala is in the news, but the problem is seen on campuses across India. Toothless anti-ragging laws, insensitivity of institutional heads to the issue as they are more concerned with burying the issue rather than stopping it and the degradation of the next generation, especially of alpha males, who are probably consuming a lot of mental poison and vomiting it out on others are the real challenges,” he said.A SAVE survey found that in most cases, including the Kottayam incident, the official anti-ragging helpline failed to work. Shockingly, 95% of institutions did not file a police complaint as required by law, acting only when public outrage erupted. 118346634Adding to the problem is the political patronage given to the accused in the name of student politics. “The severity of physical assault during ragging is increasing. There is outright cruelty involved in it. The minds of these children have become so cruel that they lack empathy,” said Dr CJ John, senior consultant psychiatrist at Medical Trust Hospital.Loopholes in the ActBack in 1998, the Kerala Anti-Ragging Act came into force. It defines ragging as "any disorderly conduct causing physical or psychological harm to students". This includes actions that caused fear, shame or embarrassment, such as teasing, abuse, practical jokes, physical harm, and forced activities.According to the Act, it is a non-bailable offence for students with up to two years' imprisonment and fine of Rs 10,000. Other consequences include exam debarment, result withholding, suspension, admission cancellation and college expulsion. The institution's heads can be charged with abetting ragging if they neglect to act, and may face suspension during the legal inquiry.The Act is not without its loopholes. In cases involving minors, FIRs are typically not registered unless offence is severe (e.g., murder). Institutional response patterns are often suspect, the attempt is to “settle” matters and avoid institutional embarrassment. Cases are dismissed when there is a lack of witnesses or formal complaints – student are reluctant to get involved due to fear of retaliation.T Asaf Ali, former director general of prosecution, Kerala, said, "It is high time we update this law. When the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act was framed in 1998, it may not have been foreseen that ragging would escalate into such heinous crimes. Back then, it was about forcing juniors to drink alcohol or making them shed clothes. Now, we must amend the law to ensure that bail isn’t granted easily in such cases."Illustration: Gireesh, Graphics: Karhic R Iyer