'Aavesham' craze simmering in Kerala schools; two cases registered in Kannur

KANNUR: With the start of plus-one classes, the schools in Kerala have turned into a battleground for students to lock horns. New students in plus one class are made to undergo ragging sessions, which sees late retaliation from juniors. All this escalates tensions with faculties failing to control the simmering rage within the students. It is accused that the modus operandi of ragging and the ensuing fight is eerily similar to the scenes from the superhit Malayalam movie ‘Aavesham’.

The police summoned 12 senior students and their parents the other day in Taliparamba and released them with a warning, as the students were minors. The seniors in one government school of Taliparamba ragged a junior student, which led to a commotion.

A similar case of ragging was also reported in Kuthuparamba. It all starts with questioning the vogue shoes and mullet hairstyles of juniors. The ragging soon will morph into a war of words with juniors also flaunting their physical might.

On Monday, a second-year student was ragged by senior students at Payyannur College. The junior student was brutally beaten up inside the store room of the college. The police registered a case of assault against 10 final-year students.

The reputation of the educational institution, and the interference of politicians, teachers' organizations, and student unions have hitherto prevented the use of the strong Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act. In this rule, a student proven guilty of ragging will be imprisoned for two years with a fine of up to Rs 10,000. The students will also be barred from any other educational institution for the next three years.