The campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district witnessed tense scenes after first year students staged a protest alleging ragging by seniors.
The protesting students highlighted the case of one Mukul Kumar, a first-year student from Bihar, who was allegedly ragged and beaten by seniors. The juniors demanded immediate action on the five main accused in the case, along with punishment for 10 others who had supported the culprits.
The Tadepalligudem police rushed to the university upon learning of the incident, and held talks with the students and administration.
Following this, NIT coordinator Srinivasa Rao suspended five seniors; Guna Sai Prakash, Sushanth Goel, Saketh, Prithviraj and Srinivas, and asked the police to book cases against 15 students in total.
This is not the first major case of ragging to be reported in a university in Andhra Pradesh.
In September last year, 54 students of IIIT Nuzvid in Andhra Pradesh were suspended after an enquiry found them guilty of ragging juniors on the college campus.
Several junior students at the university suffered injuries a month earlier, after seniors allegedly attacked them at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) campus.
According to reports, the seniors had confined 12 juniors to a hostel room, and assaulted them physically.
Addressing media persons, officials said that 24 senior students were identified as the main perpetrators, and were being suspended for three semesters. Fifteen students were being disqualified from writing examinations for one semester, while 12 students were being suspended for the sixth semester. Two final-year students were also suspended for the final semester.
Officials also pointed out that this was the first time in the institute's history, that action was being taken against so many students, at the same time.