Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police have arrested five senior MBBS students of Al-Ameen Medical College in Vijayapura for allegedly ragging and assaulting a second-year student from Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The incident reportedly took place on Tuesday following a dispute between students of the 2019 and 2022 MBBS batches during a cricket match. According to police sources, the victim, identified as Hamim Ghulam Bhat, filed a complaint alleging that his seniors forced him to perform humiliating acts, verbally abused him, and later assaulted him in his hostel room.
The accused, identified as Mohammed Zainul (23), Sameer (24), Shaik Sawood (23), Mansoor Bhasha (24), and Muzzaffer alias Mujeeb Jamadar (23), have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. They allegedly coerced Bhat into recording an apology video and threatened him with dire consequences if he participated in cricket matches for the next four years, police sources said.
Following Bhat’s complaint, the Vijayapura Rural Police launched an investigation and arrested the accused on Wednesday. The five students are currently in police custody, and further legal proceedings are underway.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has strongly condemned the incident and urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take strict action. JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami described the incident as “not just ragging but a serious student safety issue and an institutional failure.”
“Stronger anti-ragging measures must be enforced, and the accused should face strict legal consequences,” Khuehami said, calling for immediate intervention by the Karnataka government and the college administration to ensure the safety of non-local students.
