The police are yet to take action on the ragging incidents reported in the district on Thursday.
Ibrahim Asar, 17, and Shanid, 17, students of Meridian College in Mangalore, were injured when they jumped out of a moving train to escape ragging by a gang in the Cheruvathur-Mangalore Passenger train on Thursday morning. In another incident, Shirafath, 16, a student of VHSE Iriyanni, was beaten up outside the campus when he was trying to escape from a group of ragging seniors in the college. Both of them were admitted to the Kasargod General Hospital.
According to Asar, he was a target of senior students in the train several times.
But on Thursday, Asar and Shanid jumped out of the train to escape from the gang as the train had just started moving from the Kasargod station. Fortunately, they suffered only minor injuries as the train was slow. However, the Railway Police, when contacted, were unaware of the incident. Hundreds of students in the district depend on the Coimbatore-Mangalore train to reach Mangalore every day. They said the train journey had become so risky that many of them from places like Kumbla and Uppala are opting for buses. “There is senior-junior categorisation in trains too. First year students are forced to obey the seniors who travel in the train,” said Sharath Kumar of Shrinivas College. According to Shinoj, who is studying in a private college in Mangalore, there are groups of trouble makers who are not students but always board the same train every day.
“The incident at Iriyanni was reported to the police and according to the victim’s statement, he was beaten up by outsiders while escaping a group of seniors,” said Assistant Superintendent of Police T K Shibu.
“However, no complaint has been received in connection with the incident in the train. But we have posted policemen at local stations. In ragging cases, we will be able to take action only after the school or college authorities file complaint,” he said.
“We are ready to send policemen in mufti in trains if we receive a complaint,” the official added. ENS