Continuing menace of ragging 

Last week, the Court of Appeal upheld a conviction of murder of a Peradeniya University student Selvanayagam Varapragash in 1997. The victim was a first-year engineering student at that time when he was subjected to inhumane ragging which resulted in his death. The main accused Balendran Prasad Sadeeskaran was never served with summons during the trial as his whereabouts were unknown. The courts have issued a warrant for his arrest.

The main accused was a second-year student when Varapragash, a first-year student and others were subjected to ragging. The court found that the victim was taken forcibly from the faculty to a house where the accused and other students lived and was subjected to inhuman treatment causing death. 

A witness recalled that the victim was forced to do sit-ups while naked. The post-mortem on the victim identified acute renal failure due to muscle injury following physical exertion as the cause of death. It was determined that internal injuries to the deceased have occurred due to him being subjected to excessive physical exercise.

In its determination, the Court of Appeal ruled that: “No one can believe such serious injuries can occur if the person who forced the accused to do such extreme exercise in the name of ragging, unless he does that knowing very well that his actions are imminently dangerous and likely to cause death.”

The absconding convict Balendran Prasad Sadeeskaran was one of only two individuals indicted for this crime. Earlier, eight students were accused of committing this crime. However only three were committed to stand trial by the Kandy Magistrate. Out of these, one was discharged by the Attorney General for the lack of evidence and another pleaded guilty for a lesser crime. With the main accused and now convict absconding, there is hardly justice delivered for the victim.

Yet, even after 25 years since the incident, the verdict is significant in bringing to light the tremendous suffering and harm caused by the ragging. It has become an initiation ritual practiced in Sri Lankan universities for generations. This practice has severe adverse consequences such as physical, psychological and behavioural effects and increased university dropouts. 

Since 1998, ragging has been a criminal offense in Sri Lanka and carries severe punishment from 2-10 years imprisonment. However, this law has rarely been enforced. Despite the university grants commission on numerous occasions issuing guidelines and circulars to facilitate the enforcement of the law, it has not had tangible effect.  It has also looked at several methods to lodge a complaint including the introduction of a hotline, an internet portal and a mobile application. While these efforts are commendable, they are yet to deliver the desired results.

As recently as last month, several students were hospitalised following an alleged ragging incident at the University of Peradeniya. The university administration had decided to suspend three students of the Faculty of Arts in relation to the incident. 

This week, a second-year student of Kelaniya University filed a complaint with the Kiribathgoda Police accusing a group of senior students of ragging. The victim in this incident had to be presented before the Judicial Medical Officer at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital in Ragama. Ragging is a menace that has plagued Sri Lankan educational institutions for too long. Though romanticised in some quarters, it is nothing but an inhuman and degrading treatment which tantamount to torture. Those who engage in this despicable act are criminals and need to be recognised as such. They need to be dealt with the full force of the law.