7 August 2019 12:05 am
By Krishan J. Jayaruk
Nineteen senior students including the President of the Student’s Council of the Ruhuna University who were allegedly involved in sexual attacks on first year students and subjected them to inhuman ragging had been ordered to be remanded until the August 19 by the Chief Magistrate of Matara Isuru Neththikumara yesterday.
The above group of students who surrendered to the Matara Police had been then taken into custody on suspicion, under the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998.
When the suspect students were about to be taken to the prison one of them had suddenly fallen ill inside the court cell and the prison officers who were perturbed had obtained the services of the Suwaseriya Ambulance and dispatched him to the Matara hospital and warded him for treatment. The students remanded were the President of the Ruhuna University Student’s Council Veranga Pushpika De Silva, third year students Darshana Ruwan, Dilshan Tharaka, Navoda Kithmal, Harsha Nayanajith, Supun Sameera, Kasun Dineth, S. Wimalasuriya, Navin Harshana, Lahiru Sachithra, K. Lakshan, Pradeep Dammika, Nuwan Sampath, Shamil Narada, Harsha Devapriya, W. M. Rupasinghe, Kelum Viraj, and Kapila Rathnapriya.
The above suspects were charged with causing harassment to Dharsha Udayanga (22) within the Meddewatte student’s hostel, assault and subjected him to ragging in an inhuman manner as submitted by the police to the courts and they requested the suspect students to be remanded. Accordingly, the Chief Magistrate of Matara ordered them to be remanded.
The victim student had posted a video on the social media about the harassment he was subjected to and later have had a media briefing and revealed the details. The police had then conducted a special investigation to nab the students involved in this issue.
On the instructions of the SP Matara Division, Anil Priyantha and under the direction of ASP Matara Buddhika Wijesundera further investigations are continuing.