Ragging: 7 students suspended

PATHANAMTHITTA: Seven students at the Government Polytechnic at Vennikkulam, near Thiruvalla, were suspended from the institution on ragging charge on Monday. M.S. Ravikumar, Principal, told The Hindu here that Usha Surendran, mother of Suraj K.S., a first year automobile engineering student, had alleged in a complaint submitted in the morning that her son was ragged on the campus on Friday. Vishnu Mohan, Deepesh K. Balan, Divesh Vijayan, Abhijith R., Manu Simon and two other senior students had harassed him mentally and physically.

Mr. Suraj, admitted to the district hospital at Kozhencherry with serious mental trauma and physical injuries on Friday afternoon, is recovering, L. Anilkumar, Hospital Superintendent, said. The Principal said an internal inquiry had been instituted on the basis of the complaint. He had handed over the complaint to the Koipram police station for action under the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998. The police have filed a case. Students took out a march to the polytechnic on Monday, demanding action against the culprits.