Another ragging incident surfaces in Kerala college; student accuses seniors of 'brutal assault'
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 19 (PTI): A student of a government college here has made allegations of brutal ragging, claiming that he was targeted by senior students.
Bins Jose, a first-year biotechnology student at Karyavattom Government College, alleged on Tuesday that he was assaulted, harassed, and threatened by a group of seven senior students on February 11 on the campus.
Sources said all the seven accused students were suspended till the completion of the investigation based on the findings of the college's internal anti-ragging cell.
The shocking incident came to light in the wake of widespread public outcry in Kerala over the brutal physical assault on a junior nursing student at the Government Nursing College in Kottayam. Jose said he had lodged a complaint with the police and the college authorities on the day of the assault itself.
"The incident happened when my friend Abhishek and I were walking through the campus. Then a group of seniors stopped us and started beating me. My friend managed to run away from there and went to inform the principal," he told the media here on Tuesday. The victim student accused the seniors of beating him with a bamboo pole and also using a belt.
"I was then taken to the unit room and locked up there. My shirt was removed, and they made me kneel. When I asked for water to drink, one of the senior students spat into a half glass of water and gave it," Jose recalled the harrowing experience on the day. He also alleged that the senior students threatened him with dire consequences if he told anyone about the incident.
They also forced him to file a complaint against his friend, saying it was he who had beaten him up.
Kazhakoottam Police said they had already registered a case into the incident on February 11 based on various sections of the BNS including rioting, wrongful confinement, and restriction, and so on.
"As per the provisions of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act 1998, we submitted a request to the unit head of the college (Principal) to submit us a report after carrying out an inquiry whether any ragging had happened in the institution as stated in the complaint," a police officer said.
The principal submitted a report in this regard on Monday confirming that the issues mentioned in the student's complaint are correct. "As soon as we received the report, we added the ragging sections also in the case," he said. A report regarding the incident would be submitted to the court soon, and further actions would be followed, the official added.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition on Tuesday strongly condemned the ragging incident in the government college in Karyavattom and alleged that activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the students wing of the ruling CPI(M), were behind the act.
"The manner in which the SFI activists behaved to the first year student was just horrifying to hear," UDF convenor MM Hassan said. He accused the police of being initially reluctant to impose ragging charges based on the victim's complaint.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
