KOZHIKODE: The Karnataka police on Thursday registered a case against five senior students of Al Qamar College of Nursing, Gulbarga in Karnataka, on the complaints of dalit student K.P. Aswathi, 19, that they had forcibly fed her acid used for bathroom cleaning. The police slapped cases against them under clauses of attempt to murder, SC/ST Act and local anti-ragging Act.
The investigation team led by Kalaburagi SP N. Sasikumar and DySP S. Jhanhavi will reach Kozhikode on Friday to take the statement of the victim. Earlier, the medical college police had registered a case on the statements of Aswathi adding murder attempt and SC/ST Act and transferred it to the Karnataka police. A 13-member investigation team has been constituted under DySP Jhanhavi, including four inspectors.
The team visited Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Kalaburagi, where Aswathi was admitted on May 9, immediately after consuming the acid. The hospital told the investigation team that the management and friends of the girl had forced them to immediately discharge her and not to record her ‘suicide bid.’
It was later known that the students who posed as her friends were some of the accused in the case, said the hospital sources. The college, however, stands by its earlier statement that Aswathi attempted suicide due to domestic issues. Karnataka Women’s Commission chairperson Manjula Manasa told this newspaper that she held talks with her Kerala counterpart K.C. Rosakkutty in Bengaluru and one of the members will visit the nursing college and the hospital on Friday.
“The anti-ragging Act is stringent in Karnataka also. We need to confirm that ragging has taken place,” said Ms Manjula. Forensic experts say that the case could be that of ‘deliberate self harm,’ where the victim was in a highly depressed state. They also suspect that in a situation where the victim was forcibly fed the acid, there should be burning marks on the face and other parts of the victim.
Noorbina visits ‘ragging’ victim
Kerala Women’s Commission member advocate Noorbina Rasheed visited ragging victim K.P. Aswathi, 19, student of Al Qamar College of Nursing, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, at the Government Medical College Hospital, here on Thursday. Aswathi was allegedly force-fed bathroom cleaner by seniors, also from Kerala, during ragging.
Aswathi, hailing from Pulluvanpadi, Edappal in Malappuram, was brought to the hospital on June 2. Hospital sources say her internal organs have been seriously damaged and it may take another six months for her to be cured.
“The nursing college concealed the issue and did not inform the police. Even the hospital that treated Aswathi did not tell the police. The college forcibly discharged her from the hospital. As per the 2009 Supreme Court order, it is mandatory for the educational institutions to have anti-ragging squad as well as anti-ragging commitee. The college has violated this rule and its recognition can be cancelled,” said Ms Noorbina.
