NIT Warangal ragging video goes viral, college authorities in a bind

A video clipping posted on a social networking site showing some senior students of the prestigious National Institute of Technology, Warangal (NITW) in Andhra Pradesh, indulging in a "bum game" with juniors and subjecting them to physical abuse in the name of ragging , created ripples in the institute on Thursday.The video clipping, which was telecast by a couple of Telugu television channels, showed about four to five senior students surrounding a junior and kicking and spanking him on his butt in the name of the "bum game."There was another clipping as well, showing the seniors disrobing another junior student, tying him with belts and placing clips all over his body.In another clipping, another student was made to blow air into a condom.

Though nobody knows when the incident happened and who the students in the pictures were, inquiries with students in the college revealed that it could be at least a year-old video."We have not come across such a video clipping in the college in the recent past.But such incidents do happen in the campus but are confined to the hostel.Ragging is never done in public," a student of the NITW, refusing to reveal his identity, said.Another senior student said the video clipping could be related to a birthday celebration in the hostel and not necessarily that of ragging."Such funny games are often played in the hostel rooms," he observed.NITW director Prof T Srinivas Rao expressed shock over the incident and said a thorough probe would be conducted into the incident."The so-called bum game is a serious one, though the students might claim it is only for fun.We are banning such games in the campus hereafter.It is very dangerous as anything might happen to the student, if he is hurt in sensitive parts," he said.He said ragging was strictly prohibited in the NIT Warangal campus."There are more than 5,000 students from various parts of the country studying in the campus.And we are maintaining strict vigil over ragging incidents.Still, one or two incidents continue to happen," he said.A few months ago, there were clashes between juniors and seniors in the NIT campus when the juniors refused to dance naked at the instance of seniors.The college authorities intervened and hushed up the matter.