Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 14 Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, on Friday urged the CPI-M to disband its student organisation -- the Students Federation of India (SFI) -- following a gruesome ragging incident at the state-run Nursing College hostel in Kottayam.
“This incident comes close on the heels of the tragedy at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Wayanad, where SFI students were implicated in the alleged suicide of junior student J.S. Sidharthan. In Kottayam, the only difference is it did not escalate to murder. The CPI-M should immediately disband the SFI,” said Satheesan.
“The CPI-M is shielding the accused in the Wayanad incident, and the key accused in the Kottayam incident is linked to the SFI. What’s even worse is that the incident at Kottayam took place in the hostel for Scheduled Caste students,” added Satheesan.
On Wednesday, third-year students Rahul Raj, NS Jeeva, N.P. Vivek, Rigil Jeeth, and Samuel Johnson were arrested and later sent to judicial custody after a first-year student registered a complaint with the police on February 11.
The visuals of the brutal assault on innocent first-year students aired on Malayalam TV channels, sent shockwaves. In the footage, senior students could be seen laughing and making lewd comments while the victim was tied to a bed, a heavy object placed on his private parts, and his body injured with a compass.
The college authorities’ role has also come under scrutiny as they claimed ignorance of the incident.
First-year students were threatened with dire consequences if they reported the matter. Satheesan stated that it has now emerged that the senior students were engaged in this act to collect money for buying drugs and liquor.
“It’s unbelievable that the authorities knew nothing. CM Vijayan, you and your party should not shield the criminals,” said Satheesan.
Meanwhile, State Health Minister Veena George announced that a team of officials from the Directorate of Medical Education is preparing a report on the incident.
“The action will not be a mere suspension. The explanation from the authorities is not satisfactory. There are CCTV cameras in the corridors. I could not watch the full visuals as the scenes were too disturbing. What happened is unacceptable,” said George.
On Thursday, the student wings of the Congress and the BJP staged protest marches to the college, and the police had to use water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Public opinion has strongly condemned the incident, with demands for tough actions against the wrongdoers. The police probe team is also investigating if there are more accused.
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