Kerala Health Minister Veena George has sacked five students of a Government Nursing College in Kottayam for allegedly physical abuse of first-year students. The move follows a video revealing the brutal ordeal, including undressed bodies, dumbbells, and compass-stabbed victims.
The accused are now facing harsh punishment both legally and academically. The state government has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance approach towards ragging and insisted on severe punishment for those involved. Health Minister announced in the State Legislative Assembly, stating that the students, who were earlier suspended, would now be expelled permanently from the college.
The move comes after mass outrage followed the release of a video showing the horrific ordeal online, showing the extent of torture meted out to the juniors. The senior students had allegedly undressed the victims and put dumbbells on their genitals, stabbed them with a compass, among other types of abuse. The act saw the five accused arrested, who now risk harsh punishment both legally and academically.
The accused used to cut the juniors' bodies and then apply lotion on them, police said. When the victims were crying in pain, the accused used to put cream on their mouth and other body parts. Footage of the incident shows the students crying in pain, begging the five students to stop hurting them.
It has also been ensured by the authorities that the expelled students do not continue their education elsewhere. The state government has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance approach towards ragging and insisted on severe punishment for the persons who indulge in it.
