Bengaluru, Feb 20: The Karnataka Police arrested five senior MBBS students in Vijayapura district on Wednesday for allegedly ragging and assaulting a second-year student from Kashmir.
The incident was reported at Al-Ameen Medical College on Tuesday, the police said, following an altercation between the 2019 and 2022 MBBS batches during a cricket match.
The case was registered at Vijayapura Rural police station, and the accused, identified as Mohammed Zainul, 23, Sameer, 24, Shaik Sawood, 23, Mansoor Bhasha, 24, and Muzzaffer alias Mujeeb Jamadar, 23, were booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, the police added.
According to a complaint filed by Hamim Ghulam Bhat, he had gone to watch the cricket match when he was allegedly ordered by his seniors to leave the ground. When he refused, he was allegedly forced to perform humiliating acts, like dancing and saluting, and was verbally abused, he said.
Later that night, a group of seniors allegedly barged into Bhat’s hostel room, assaulted him, and coerced him into recording an apology video, as per the police complaint. The accused allegedly threatened his life and warned him against participating in cricket for the next four years. They allegedly told him they would make his stay at the college unbearable.
Following Bhat’s complaint, the Vijayapura rural police launched an investigation and arrested the accused on Wednesday. They are currently in police custody, with further legal action pending.
Jammu and Kashmir Students Association calls for CM’s intervention
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has strongly condemned the incident and urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take strict action. Nasir Khuehami, the national convenor of JKSA, said that this case reflects a pattern of harassment faced by Kashmiri students in various educational institutions.
“This is not just about ragging-it is a serious student safety issue and an institutional failure. Stronger anti-ragging measures must be enforced, and the accused should face strict legal consequences,” Khuehami said.
The association has also called on the Karnataka government and the college administration to ensure the safety of non-local students and take preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.–(The Indian Express)
