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Coimbatore: What makes educated college students in the
country bully, beat up and humiliate their juniors?
Ragging just keeps happening despite the laws and now
it's nearly caused a 20-year-old first year student his
eyesight.
Akhil Dev, a first year BBM student at PSG Arts and
Science College, is currently battling trauma and
serious injuries to eyes and ears, was subjected to
horrendous ragging by a few of his seniors around
midnight on March 7. His parents do not wish to send him
back to the college; he doesn’t have the courage to step
into the campus either.
Akhil has had to go through two major surgeries to save
his eyes. All because his seniors thought beating him
and punching him on his eyes was all part of ragging.
The fresher was staying at a private hostel with another
classmate. When five seniors came and asked them for
money, the boys said that they didn't have any money and
then they were thrashed. Akhil says it wasn't the first
time. Senior students had extorted money earlier as
well. He says it was a regular feature.
The college, which suspended the seniors, desperately
tried to work out a compromise and didn't register a
case with the police. The principal now says there was
little she could do since the incident didn't take place
on campus.
Akhil's father Sunil Parameswaran says, “This was not
the first time the boy had been beaten. On an earlier
occasion, when we went to his college, a good number of
freshers were relating, in a hushed tone, tales of
atrocities being perpetrated by senior students. This
time around, when it crossed all limits, we gave a
complaint to the college authorities. They convened a
meeting of both parties and suggested we settle it
amicably. How could we, when no action was taken against
those who hounded an innocent boy no end?”
According to the Raghavan Committee recommendations,
even cases of ragging, in private hostels or lodges
outside colleges, have to be reported to the police, but
the principal has chosen to deal it herself.
A case was finally registered on Friday after Akhil's
family went directly to the police, a month after his
nightmare began. Today, the young student is back home
in Kerala, trying to recover, trying to fight, so that
others like him don't suffer. |
