Seven engineering students from PSG College of Technology on Avinashi Road in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in a ragging incident against a junior student. The distressing episode, which took place on Monday, November 6, resulted in the victim, Rubak Varma, a first-year engineering student from Tiruppur, being disrobed and having his head tonsured inside the college hostel.
The accused individuals, namely Dharanitharan, Venkatesh, Madhavan, Mani, Ayyappan, Santhosh, and Yalish, were taken into custody. Among them, Dharanitharan and Venkatesh are second-year students, while Madhavan and Mani are in their third year. The rest of the accused are in their final year of engineering studies.
According to reports, on Monday evening, the accused students demanded money from Rubak Varma for purchasing liquor. Upon his refusal, they reportedly assaulted him, took him to their room, and allegedly confined him until Tuesday morning. During this time, he was subjected to further physical abuse, including being stripped naked and having his head tonsured with a trimmer. The perpetrators purportedly recorded the entire act on their phones.
Following his release, Rubak Varma informed his parents about the harrowing incident, prompting them to rush to Coimbatore and file a complaint with the college administration. Simultaneously, a formal complaint was lodged against the seven accused students at the E2 Peelamedu police station. The police acted swiftly, and on the night of Tuesday, November 7, the accused were arrested based on the filed complaint.
The accused students face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, assaults or uses of criminal force, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, they have been booked under Section 4 of the Tamilnadu Ragging Prohibition Act 1997, which stipulates penalties of up to two years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10,000. This incident highlights the urgent need to address ragging and ensure the safety of students within educational institutions.