Kerala is once again shaken by a horrifying case of ragging, this time from Kannur district, just as the shocking incident at Kottayam Government Nursing College continues to spark outrage.
A Class 11 student was allegedly tortured within the school premises on Wednesday for “not respecting seniors,” according to The Indian Express. The brutal assault left him seriously injured and deeply traumatised.
Kerala has recently been witnessing a string of ragging cases at educational institutes, raising serious concerns about student safety and the enforcement of anti-ragging laws in the state.
What exactly happened in this latest case? How are the authorities responding? Here’s what we know so far.
Muhammad Nihal, the victim, revealed that he was brutally beaten by five Class 12 students, leaving him with a fractured left arm and other serious injuries.
The attack reportedly took place on Wednesday within the school premises. Following the assault, Nihal was rushed to Thalassery AKG Memorial Co-operative Hospital, where he had to undergo surgery, The New Indian Express reported.
Kolavallur Police confirmed that they had registered a case against five students, all over the age of 18, for causing hurt and unlawful restraint. Three of them have been identified so far.
Recalling the horrific ordeal, Nihal told the media that the violence began after the seniors took offence at the way he looked at them while drinking water. He alleged that he was kicked to the ground inside the school canteen.
School authorities acknowledged receiving the complaint and confirmed that the suspects had been suspended.
“The anti-ragging committee met and reviewed the CCTV footage at the school to ascertain the incident. We will soon give a report to the police,” a school official said.
Meanwhile, Kolavallur Police have recorded statements from Nihal and his parents and have launched an initial investigation into the case.
Nihal also claimed that this was not the first time he had been attacked and that other students had faced similar incidents of violence.
After a video of a horrific ragging case in a
Kerala college went viral, senior students of the government nursing college have been expelled.
On Wednesday, Kottayam Police arrested five third-year students for brutally assaulting first-year students.
The disturbing video showed senior students laughing and making lewd comments while a junior was tied to a bed, with gym dumbbells placed on his genitals. They also pierced his body with a geometry box compass and slathered lotion on the wounds. When the victims screamed in agony, the cream was then forcibly smeared into their mouths.
Junior students claimed this vicious ragging had been going on for nearly three months. According to the police, the abuse started in November 2024, shortly after first-year students began their classes. The seniors allegedly forced juniors to give them money every Sunday to buy liquor.
As the shocking case gained attention, the state government launched an investigation, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanded a report from the state police within 10 days.
Calling the incident “not only morally reprehensible but also illegal,” the NHRC revealed that the junior student alleged seniors “coerced juniors into transferring money” online and “subjected them to physical and mental torture”.
The Congress-led opposition UDF has alleged that the accused in the Kottayam ragging case have ties to the SFI, the student wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
“One of the accused is the state general secretary of the Kerala Government Nursing Students Association, which is linked to the SFI. The SFI should be disbanded. They are attacking students for money to buy drugs and liquor… We have seen how CPI(M) was protecting the accused students, who were local leaders of SFI,” Opposition Leader VD Satheesan alleged.
In response, Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu assured that strict action would be taken against the accused, while the SFI denied any connections with them.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Veena George stated that firm action would be taken against the accused students.
“Steps will be taken to sack (expel) the students who are now under suspension. The medical education director is also investigating the matter. It will be specifically looked into why hostel authorities failed to notice when seniors were entering junior students’ rooms,” she was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.
Before the shocking ragging cases in Kottayam and Kannur, a similar tragedy in Ernakulam had already shaken Kerala.
Just days ago, 15-year-old Mihir Ahammed was allegedly forced to jump to his death after enduring relentless ragging. His seniors reportedly made him “lick toilet seats” and subjected him to extreme humiliation.
His mother, Rajna PM, took to social media to reveal the unbearable torment her son had faced.
“Mihir was subjected to brutal ragging, bullying, and physical assault by a gang of students at school and on the school bus,” she wrote.
She also shared chilling screenshots of conversations detailing the abuse. “They made Mihir play a game where he spread his fingers out, but instead of using a pencil to hit between the gaps, they forced him to use a knife. They also made him lick toilet seats and pushed his head into toilets before flushing them,” the messages read.
Demanding justice, Rajna accused the school of covering up the incident to protect its reputation. She also alleged that the school’s vice-principal had harassed Mihir.
She reported the incident to the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, according to a local media report, the commission’s chairman confirmed that they had taken note of the teen’s tragic death.
Meanwhile, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has ordered a thorough investigation into the shocking case.
With input from agencies
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After Kerala’s Kottayam, now student brutally ragged by seniors in Kannur. What we know
