Ragging Horror: Andhra Dalit Student Burnt With Iron Box, Staff ‘Ignored’ Injuries

In a shocking ragging incident, a Dalit school boy in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district was allegedly branded with a hot iron by his classmates inside a private school hostel room in Morampudi. The boy suffered severe burn injuries on his stomach and hands, but hostel staff allegedly ignored his condition, police said.

The attack was noticed only when the victim’s mother went to see him and saw the injuries. During questioning, the boy informed that two of his schoolmates attacked him with a burning iron box on August 18. She took him to Razole hospital immediately, where he is being treated. Students who involved in this case are from Dalit background.

The violence was a result of a previous incident, police said. On August 16, the school hostel had shown a movie to students. Two boys were suspected to have later taken away a surveillance camera and installed it in the victim’s school bag. When questioned by the hostel in-charge, the victim mentioned that his classmates were behind it, which led to the barbaric revenge two days later, according to police.

Ragging in India: Ongoing Threat in Spite of Laws

The recent incident once again exposed that ragging remains an impediment to India’s education system; this time, extending from colleges to schools. And despite penalties, awareness programs, and anti-ragging helplines, the problem is still alarmingly prevalent.

As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) data, the nationwide anti-ragging helpline registered 1,086 complaints for the 2024 academic season; a 12.7% increase over the same time the previous year. From 2015 to 2024, more than 8,184 cases have been noted, but experts maintain the true number of incidents is much higher due to under-reporting. 

For example, ragging complaints to helpline were noted as 576 in 2015, increasing continuously to reach 608 in 2016, 921 in 2017, and 1,039 in 2018, illustrating the actual prevalence of the ongoing issue. The new anti-ragging helpline was established in 2009 and noted over 8,000 complaints, the actual prevalence of ragging is still unclear.

However, surveys indicate that almost 40% of Indian students experience some form of ragging, while only 8.6% report it, primarily due to fear, or stigmatization and/or student indifference from the universities. Experts further warn that ragging is not simply “an innocent tradition’, but leave lasting and permanent scars; where victims are diagnosed with depression and PTSD, inability to perform academically and withdrawal from social life, and even have suicidal tendencies.

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