Tamil Nadu: Ragging raises its ugly head again; 9 students suspended after video goes viral

Officials from the college said that freshers were facing continuous harassment from the seniors at the hostel
Image for representational purpose only | (Pic: Express)
Image for representational purpose only | (Pic: Express)

Nine students were suspended on Wednesday, April 26, from Arignar Anna Government Arts College at Cheyyar, in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, after they were found to be involved in ragging first-year students at Adi Dravidar Government College men's hostel. The students have been suspended for a month.

A statement issued by the principal of the college said that the matter has been forwarded to the district collector for further action. "Following the complaint of first-year students who were allegedly harassed by ragging at the Adi Dravidar Welfare Hostel, videos of the incident have surfaced on social media," the statement reads, as noted by The New Indian Express.

There is a culture of ragging 
"The investigation by the governing council members has revealed the existence of a ragging culture. Further evidence has been sent to the district collector of Tiruvannamalai and instructions have been given accordingly. A total of nine students, comprising second and third-year degree students, were involved in this group activity. They are being suspended for the next one month," it adds.

Officials from the college informed that currently there are 29 students in the hostel, out of which 23 belong to Scheduled Caste (SC) and the remaining six are from the most backward castes. Among them, 20 students are first-year students, while the remaining nine are in the second and third years. 

The officials further said that the freshers were facing continuous harassment from the seniors, who used to order them to eat dinner only after they had finished theirs. The juniors were also expected to bow their heads when they spotted seniors on the college campus, as per TNIE.

The alleged ragging incident happened on Sunday, April 23, when the warden stepped out to purchase supplies for the hostel. In the viral video, first-year students were seen getting whipped with a rope one at a time. They were allegedly being punished by the seniors for refusing to comply with their demands. Upon learning about the incident, the college principal informed the victims' parents and conducted an inquiry. Later, came the suspension order.

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