Unlikely Kerala nursing student was forced to drink toilet cleaner, says Karnataka police

Gulbarga: The Karnataka Police have said that based on the preliminary inquiry conducted by them, it could not be established whether a Dalit student from Kerala was forced to drink toilet cleaner by her seniors as part of ragging at the Al-Qamar College of Nursing in Gulbarga.

The police said the 19-year-old nursing student, who in her complaint alleged she was ragged and forced to drink phenyl, was on several occasions asked by her seniors to sing and dance for them.

However, as per a report in The Indian Express, police said it could not be established whether the seniors made her consume toilet-cleaning chemical in the hostel.

The preliminary investigation was based on questioning of several nursing students of the college.

Among those interrogated were the five students who have been accused by the victim.

“The victim was forced by some of her seniors to dance and sing on many occasions. But preliminary investigations show that the seniors did not force her to consume a chemical in the hostel,” said a senior police officer, as per the newspaper.

The police had yesterday arrested three persons in connection with the incident.

The first-year nursing student is currently undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) with severe stomach and foodpipe problems.

According to PTI, the 19-year-old student was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel on May 9, seriously damaging her foodpipe.

Based on her statement, city police on June 22 registered an FIR against five of her seniors. A copy was sent to Gulbarga Police Commissioner for further investigation.

She was admitted to a private hospital in Gulbarga after the incident, but her condition worsened after five days and she was sent back home with another Keralite student.

She was then admitted to Thrissur Medical College Hospital, after which she was referred to KMCH on June 2.

Doctors at KMCH had suggested a major surgery as the chemicals of the toilet cleaner severely damaged her food pipe following which she had been admitted to the ICU.