Nursing Council slaps no-study bar on Kerala ragging accused

The council also noted those entering the nursing profession should be humane and compassionate—whereas the accused displayed cruelty toward their juniors—behaviour that is unacceptable in any circumstance.

A council member described the Kottayam ragging incident as an “extremely cruel act” and said it cannot be justified.

“We will never justify the incident. What we want to emphasise is that allowing such individuals into the nursing profession would be a disaster,” said Usha Devi, a council member.

“We made the decision in a way that leaves them no chance to continue their studies. Through the District Health Services (DHS), we will inform the government of our decision, which will also be conveyed to the college authorities,” the Council member said. With this decision, the accused students can no longer continue their studies in Kerala.

The Council’s ruling came a day after the state Health Minister indicated that strict action would be taken against those involved in the incident.

On Friday, the department suspended Principal Sulekha A T and Assistant Professor/Assistant Warden-in-Charge of the student hostel, Ajeesh P Mani, pending an enquiry for allegedly failing to prevent ragging and intervene in the matter.

The hostel’s housekeeper-cum-security staff was also ordered to be removed immediately, as per a statement issued by the Health Minister’s office Friday. The action was taken following an enquiry conducted by the Director of Medical Education, as per the instructions of Health Minister Veena George, the statement said.

State Minister for Devaswom and Ports V N Vasavan said the government’s stance is to ensure that no accused are spared and that all those involved are brought to justice.