Eight years after the Supreme Court of India first banned ragging, Dande Devender Kumar has died of it. It is suspected he committed suicide by jumping onto the railway tracks, adding to the list of those who chose to die rather than live the humiliation of ragging. After hanging oneself on the ceiling fans, dying on the railway tracks is the second most favourite choice of ragging victims.Kumar also left a suicide note.

Kumar was a student of Vasavi Engineering College, Hyderabad, whose administration consoled his parents thus:

When his parents reported the matter to the college and threatened to file a police complaint, the college authorities allegedly begged them not to as it would spoil the careers of those involved. [CNN-IBN]

As for the parents:

“He had been complaining for long. We hoped that the college authorities would take note of it but it did not happen.” [The Hindu]

But what were the parents doing?

News reports: CNN-IBN, The Hindu, Times of India, Press Trust of India, The New Indian Express, ANI

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