The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday ordered a high-level inquiry into an incident of ragging in which five students of an engineering college sexually abused a junior and forced another to film the act on his cellphone.
The shameful incident at GMR Institute of Technology (GMRIT) at Rajam in the north coastal district of Srikakulam has shocked the student community and parents and authorities have swung into action to bring the guilty to book.
Four of the accused have been arrested by the police while the fifth is absconding. They have all been suspended from the college.
Minister for Higher Education P Venkateswara Rao said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident. He said showcause notices were also being issued to the college management and principal.
The incident in which a third year student had unnatural sex with a student of second year and forced another to film the shameful act, came to light late on Wednesday and shocked students and the teaching community.
As pressure mounted for action against the guilty, all of whom are from well-to-do families, police arrested them under the provisions of AP Prevention of Ragging Act, 1997 which also covers sexual abuse.
{{/usCountry}}As pressure mounted for action against the guilty, all of whom are from well-to-do families, police arrested them under the provisions of AP Prevention of Ragging Act, 1997 which also covers sexual abuse.
{{/usCountry}}The arrested have been identified as D Vijaybhaskar Rao, Tirupati Ramesh, Talapaka Ravi, Yerraiah Babu and BB Krishna Chaitanya while Santosh is absconding.
Police said the accused, who were identified with the help of cellphone pictures had called the juniors to their rented room in a private building on Monday, forced them to do menial jobs and sexually abused one of them.
The college was closed for holidays. The management of the private college said though the incident occurred outside the college premises, they had taken a serious note and suspended the accused.