MADURAI: A 14-year-old student of a government industrial training institute (ITI) was stripped and brutally beaten up allegedly by three of his batchmates in a case of ragging at a government Kallar hostel at Chekkanurani in Madurai district.
The incident, which took place on the night of September 18, has triggered outrage after a 39-second video of the act went viral on social media on Tuesday.
The video, which was recorded by a friend of the victim, shows the juveniles — who are first-year students of a course at the ITI — forcing the victim to strip and later beating him on his private parts with a slipper. The victim, who is a first-year student, can be seen begging for his clothes.
Acting on a complaint from the victim’s father, Chekkanurani police detained the three boys on Tuesday and booked them under Sections 115 (2), 133, and 351(2) of the BNS and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act. They were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Tuesday evening, sources said.
Warden and 3 students suspended: Faculty
“The three students and warden of the hostel, Balasubramanian, have been suspended, and the victim had gone on leave,” a faculty member of the ITI said. The hostel is run by the state’s Kallar Reclamation Board, police said.
According to a senior police officer, while the victim belongs to a caste Hindu community, the three juveniles are from caste Hindu and Scheduled Caste communities. No other student was harassed by them, the officer added.
Superintendent of Police (Madurai) BK Arvind said that as per preliminary investigation, the act is believed to have been committed for “fun” and is not caste-related. While the victim and one of his tormentors belong to Theni district, the other two juveniles are from Madurai.
Meanwhile, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the incident.
Taking to X, he said the DMK has failed to create a friendly atmosphere among students not only in hostels but also in government schools.