Ragging: Teen Stripped, Brutally Beaten In Private Parts By Batchmates In Tamil Nadu Govt Hostel
Madurai, Tamil Nadu: Three teenagers from a government industrial training institute (ITI) in Madurai were arrested recently for allegedly dragging a 14-year-old boy into a government hostel. The teen victim was allegedly stripped and brutally beaten up by three of his batchmates.
The Chekkanurani police took action after the video of the incident went viral on social media. The incident reportedly occurred as a case of ragging at a government Kallar hostel at Chekkanurani in Madurai district.
The incident took place on the night of September 18, and the 39-second video of the act, doing round on social media platforms, sparked public outrage against the perpetrators and the authorities.
The footage was filmed by the victim’s friend, and it showed the accused juveniles — first-year students of a course at the ITI — compelling the victim to strip and later beating him in his private parts with a slipper. The victim, a first-year student, was seen begging for his clothes.
Following a formal complaint from the victim’s father, Chekkanurani police detained the three boys and booked them under Sections 115 (2), 133, and 351(2) of the BNS and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act. The accused were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.
All the three accused, and the hotel warden were suspended, The New Indian Express reported, citing a faculty member of the ITI. The hostel is run by the state’s Kallar Reclamation Board.
According to Superintendent of Police (Madurai) BK Arvind, the ragging is believed to have been committed for ‘fun’ and not any caste-related, as per preliminary investigation. Notably, while the victim belongs to a caste Hindu community, the three juveniles are from caste Hindu and Scheduled Caste communities.
According to a senior police officer, while the victim belongs to a caste Hindu community, the three juveniles are from caste Hindu and Scheduled Caste communities. No other student was harassed by them, the officer added.
