A horrifying incident of student abuse recently unfolded at a government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) hostel in Chekkanoorani, near Usilampatti in Madurai district. A 14-year-old first-year student was reportedly stripped and subjected to a vicious beating by three of his batchmates. Disturbingly, the entire ordeal was captured on video by one of the perpetrators.
While this heinous act occurred on Thursday, September 18, 2025, the video clip of the assault began circulating widely on Tuesday, September 23, sparking widespread outrage and concern.
Authorities swiftly responded after the victim’s father lodged a formal complaint. The Madurai district police have since registered a case and launched a thorough investigation into the matter. According to police reports, the alleged attackers are juveniles aged 15 and 17 years.
The young victim, who hails from Varusanadu in Theni district, was residing at the students’ hostel, which is managed by the Tamil Nadu government’s Department of Kallar Reclamation. He had enrolled in the ITI program after completing his eighth standard. The accused students, although older in age, were also fellow first-year ITI students.
Madurai Superintendent of Police, B.K. Arvind, clarified that “It is primarily a case of ragging and not rooted in caste-based violence.”
All juvenile suspects involved have been apprehended for questioning. Legal action has been initiated against them under the stringent provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997, in addition to charges of assault and criminal intimidation.