Coimbatore: 7 engineering students arrested for ragging and tonsuring junior, demanding money for alcohol

According to the police, the victim was studying in the first year was a native of Tiruppur and staying in the college hostel.

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The Incident 

On Monday evening, a group of second-year students allegedly barged into the victim’s room and asked for money to buy alcohol.

When the boy refused to give them money, the gang is said to have threatened and assaulted him. They then reportedly took the victim forcibly to their room.

There, the victim was allegedly undressed and assaulted. Later, the senior students allegedly tonsured him with a trimmer. The whole incident was videographed on the mobile phone by the senior boys.

According to the police, the victim was tortured till early morning on Tuesday, before being allowed to return to his room. He was also allegedly warned of dire consequences and threatened not to expose the incident to anyone.

The victim, soon after reaching his room, contacted his parents and told them about his ordeal. The parents rushed to the college at Coimbatore and launched a complaint with the Peelamedu police on Tuesday evening.

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Students booked

The police registered a case against seven senior students of the college, identifying them as Dharanidharan, Madhavan, Mani, Santhosh, Venkatesh, Iyappan, and Yalish.

The cops also booked them under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation), 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The students were also booked under Section 4 (penalty for ragging) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act of 1997.

The seven accused were arrested on Wednesday and have since been remanded in judicial custody.

When contacted, the management of the institution told South First that the college would not tolerate ragging and indiscipline.

“Apart from legal action, the college will take necessary action against the students. All seven students have been suspended,” the official said.

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What the law says

Ragging is widely recognised as a non-bailable, cognizable, and punishable offence.

According to Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, whoever commits, participates, abets, and propagates ragging within or without the educational institution, shall be imprisoned for a term that may extend to two years, and levied a fine of up to ₹10,000.

Students involved in ragging would also be dismissed from the educational institution and would not be admitted to any other educational institution, according to the law.

The aforementioned Act also says that on receiving a complaint from a victim, the management of the institution should inquire about it within 72 hours.

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Ragging sensitisation

In June this year, Coimbatore City Commissioner of Police (CP) V Balakrishnan instructed all the police inspectors in the city to launch an awareness programme on ragging in colleges.

The CP instructed the police personnel to meet first-year college students and sensitise them to ragging, drugs, eve-teasing, and offences in cyberspace.

After the instructions of the Tamil Nadu government, all the colleges and other educational institutions in the state have established anti-ragging cells.

The UGC regulations mandate the establishment of anti-ragging cells in colleges comprising an advocate or arbitrator, faculty members, hostel wardens, and student members to curb the menace of ragging.