Kerala Nursing Council to bar ragging accused from further studies

Amid widespread outrage over the brutal ragging incident at the Government Nursing College in Kottayam, the Kerala Nurses and Midwives Council (KNMC) on Saturday decided to bar all five accused students from continuing their studies.

A council meeting convened here observed that the accused did not deserve to complete their studies or enter the service profession.

The council further noted that those entering the nursing profession should be humane and compassionate -- whereas the accused displayed cruelty toward their juniors -- behaviour that is unacceptable in any circumstance.

A council member described the Kottayam ragging incident as an 'extremely cruel act' and said it cannot be justified under any circumstances.

"We will never justify the incident. What we want to emphasise is that allowing such individuals into the nursing profession would be a disaster," said Usha Devi, a council member.

She said the Council would soon inform the concerned authorities of its decision.

"We made the decision in a way that leaves them no chance to continue their studies. Through the District Health Services (DHS), we will inform the government of our decision, which will also be conveyed to the college authorities," the Council member told PTI.

With this decision, the accused students can no longer continue their studies in Kerala, she added.

The Council's ruling came a day after the state Health Minister indicated that strict action would be taken against those involved in the brutal incident.

On Friday, the department suspended Principal Sulekha A T and Assistant Professor/Assistant Warden-in-Charge of the student hostel, Ajeesh P Mani, pending an inquiry for allegedly failing to prevent ragging and effectively intervene in the matter.

The hostel's housekeeper-cum-security staff was also ordered to be removed immediately, according to a statement issued by the Health Minister's office late Friday night.

The action was taken following an inquiry conducted by the Director of Medical Education, as per the instructions of Health Minister Veena George, the statement added.

Cutting across political lines, ministers and leaders continued to condemn the brutal ragging incident and demanded strict action against it on Saturday as well.

State Minister for Devaswom and Ports V N Vasavan said the government's stance is to ensure that no accused are spared and that all those involved are brought to justice.

"Everyone mentioned in the victim's statement was arrested without delay. If more people were involved, they should also be brought to justice. That is the government's stand," he said.

However, the minister dismissed the opposition's allegation that some of the accused had links with the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

"The SFI had no connection with the incident. The Left outfit has already clarified this and demanded stern action against the accused. If a political outfit like SFI had been present on campus, the incident would not have occurred," he said.

Responding to a question on the matter, General Education Minister V Sivankutty took a different stance, stating that if any individual activists of the outfit (SFI) were involved in the incident, they should be removed from the organisation.

The opposition Congress expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing police probe, stating that investigators had not even sought the custody of the accused.

Senior Congress leader and MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan alleged that the police might be trying to protect someone.

"We demand a court-monitored investigation," he said.

The Government Nursing College in Kottayam continued to witness intense protests on Saturday, as BJP and AIYF activists held protest marches to the institution.

During the evidence collection process, investigators reportedly recovered a compass, dumbbells, and granite blocks from a room in the boys' hostel of the state-run Nursing College, where the horrifying incident took place.

Disturbing visuals of the brutal ragging surfaced on Thursday, showing the victim tied to a cot and repeatedly pierced with a compass.

According to footage obtained by the Gandhinagar police, the victim was stripped half-naked and subjected to horrifying acts, including having dumbbells placed on his private parts while tied to a cot and having facial cream poured into his mouth.

The abuse took place in the boys' hostel, targeting first-year nursing students.

Five third-year students Samuel Johnson (20), Rahul Raj (22), Jeev (18), Rijil Jith (20), and Vivek (21) were arrested in connection with the case.

They were taken into custody after a case was registered under the Prohibition of Ragging Act, following a complaint that ragging had been ongoing for nearly three months at the nursing college, which operates under the Government Medical College.

The arrested students are currently in the district jail after being remanded by a court.