University fails to act on ragging, special cell inert

CHENNAI: A gruesome bout of ragging that led to the murder in 1996 of medical student Pon Navarasu, son of the then Madras University vice-chancellor, made the state put in place tough anti-ragging measures. But, they don't seem to have helped the five students of SRM University, on the outskirts of Chennai, who were attacked by their seniors in two incidents in the last 10 days. 

The students say they filed petitions before the college anti-ragging committee. A Supreme Courtdirection says the management should immediately report a ragging incident to police and the anti-ragging committee set up by the state government, but the SRM management didn't do so, say the victims. Instead, it tried to settle the issue "to prevent enmity among students," they said. 

The students injured in the attack on January 19 lodged a police complaint but, under pressure from seniors and college authorities, Akhil, a first-year BBA student and the first to be admitted to hospital, withdrew the complaint. 

This triggered a second attack in which another three students were injured. This time, C Kumar Mahto, brother of one of the victims,Gautam Mahto, approached college anti-ragging cell. Instead of taking action and submitting a report to police, the authorities tried to delay things saying it was a minor scuffle and not a case of ragging. 

"When some of my friends contacted the anti-ragging cell of college, they said we would be expelled if we made such complaints," said Gautam. 

His father Umesh Mahto, a government employee, is too stunned to talk. "How can we be safe if such incidents occur? How will my son go to college after these attacks? Where will we get help from?" he said. 

Gautam said he was probably targeted because he was a friend of Madan, who was to stand in the college union elections. Many seniors called him and his friends and subjected them to verbal and psychological abuse, he said. When they refused to budge, he and four friends were attacked by seniors with iron rods, sickles, knives and swords in Adyar on January 19 and 24. They are now demoralised and want to discontinue the course due to 'fear,' he said. 

A shadow of gloom hangs over Gautam's house at Indira Nagar in Adyar. Bruised and battered, with stitches all over, he appears to be reliving the horror.