The Kalamassery police have booked seven second-year BTech Marine Engineering students of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) in Kochi, Kerala, on charge of ragging 13 junior students at the hostel of the Cusat Kunjali Marakkar School of Marine Engineering.
The accused were identified as Adithyan K., Aravind B., Mohammed Zidan N.S., Muhammed Asif K.V., George Anil, Muhammed Savad P.F. and Navaneeth V. All of them remain suspended on disciplinary grounds. The case was registered on a petition lodged by university registrar Meera V.
The incident took place on the nights of October 18 and 19 after the roll call at the hostel. According to the FIR, the accused allegedly forcibly detained the junior students in two hostel rooms and kicked, beat with belts, slapped on face and verbally abused them and rammed their heads on the wall besides forcing them to dance and sing.
The accused were booked under Section 4 (whoever commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging within, or without, any educational institution shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extent to two years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extent to ₹10,000) of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
Besides, Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) were also invoked.
