VISAKHAPATNAM: Three Class 10 girls from St Ann’s School in Andhra Pradesh’s ASR district were sent home after allegedly assaulting a Class 8 student at the school’s hostel.
The incident, which occurred on January 5, only came to light on February 17 after a video of the assault went viral on social media.
Reports indicate that the three senior students verbally abused and physically assaulted the junior student, who then lodged a formal complaint with the hostel staff.
Following the video's circulation, both the school management and local education officials took immediate action, visiting the hostel to address the matter.
ASR district collector, AS Dinesh Kumar, instructed the district education officer, P Brahmaji Rao, to conduct a thorough investigation. Based on the findings, the hostel warden, Sravya, was removed from her post, and the three students involved in the assault were sent home.
The incident comes shortly after a shocking ragging case in Kerala, where the principal and assistant professor of the Government College of Nursing in Kottayam were suspended over their failure to intervene in a brutal ragging incident at the college’s hostel.
The principal, Sulekha A T, and assistant professor Ajeesh P Mani, who was also in charge of the hostel, were suspended pending investigation. Additionally, the hostel's housekeeper-cum-security staff was removed.
The suspension followed an inquiry by the Director of Medical Education, instructed by Health Minister Veena George. Disturbing visuals of the ragging surfaced on social media, showing a junior student being tortured, including being tied to a cot, pierced with a compass, and subjected to other horrifying acts. The abuse occurred in the boys' hostel, targeting first-year nursing students.
Five third-year students involved in the incident—Samuel Johnson (20), Rahul Raj (22), Jeev (18), Rijil Jith (20), and Vivek (21)—were arrested and are currently held in district jail after being remanded by a court.
The Congress-led opposition UDF has claimed that the accused in the Kottayam case have connections with the Left student organization, SFI.
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