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Kottayam: Stripped naked, dumbbells hung from private parts, stabbed with geometry box compasses and beaten bloody for three months - a fresh ragging incident has rocked a government college in Kerala where five third-year nursing students have been arrested for allegedly subjecting their juniors to months of brutal physical and mental abuse.

The incident took place at Government Nursing College in Kottayam where three first-year students - all from Thiruvananthapuram -  filed a formal complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police, detailing a series of violent acts that began in November 2024 and continued for nearly three months.  

The complaint led to the suspension of the students and their arrest under the Anti-Ragging Act. According to the police, the first-year students were forced to stand naked while their seniors hung dumbbells from their private parts. The victims were also subjected to injuries using sharp objects, including a compass from a geometry box.  

The cruelty did not stop there. Lotion was applied to the wounds, causing pain. When the victims screamed in agony, the lotion was forcibly smeared into their mouths. The seniors allegedly filmed these acts and threatened the juniors with dire consequences, including jeopardising their academic futures, if they dared to report the abuse.  

The complaint also claims that the seniors regularly extorted money from the juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol. Those who refused to comply were beaten. One student, unable to bear the harassment any longer, informed his father, who then encouraged him to approach the police.  

All five are currently in police custody and are expected to be produced before a magistrate by Wednesday afternoon.  

The incident comes weeks after a 15-year-old schoolboy in Kochi died by suicide. The student's mother alleged that her son was bullied by students which pushed him towards his death.

Americans have taken to the streets in Washington, D.C., protesting President Donald Trump’s scheme to take "long-term ownership" of the Gaza Strip.

“Gaza Strip is not for sale,” the protesters shouted on the city’s streets on Wednesday.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump had claimed that the United States would oversee clearing up of destroyed buildings, removing of unexploded ordnance, and “resettling” of Palestinians elsewhere.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it," he had purported.

‘Deploying American troops to Gaza’

Trump’s announcement came after the Israeli regime failed to realize its objective of forcing Gaza’s entire population to leave for neighboring Egypt, despite taking the coastal sliver under a war of genocide for over 15 months, during which the regime killed way upwards of 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Despite offering few details on how the scheme would be implemented, Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians could be sent to "other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts."

He also left open the possibility of deploying American troops in Gaza, stating, "If it’s necessary, we’ll do that."

‘New Riviera’

Trump predicted the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, could become “the Riviera” of the West Asia as he announced his plan to take control of it.

"The Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent," Trump said as he again voiced hopes that Palestinians could be removed from Gaza, and said the United States would redevelop the territory.

‘Recipe for chaos’

The so-called plan, which Trump described as a "long-term ownership position," was met with immediate condemnation from Palestinian groups.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas called it a "recipe for chaos and tension in the region" and vowed that "our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass."

The group’s denouncement came amid predictions that the proposal could escalate tensions in the region and spark new waves of resistance across the Palestinian territories and beyond.

Some regional states, including Saudi Arabia, likewise firmly rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians, citing the Palestinian nation’s demand for establishment of their own independent state.

Trump’s comments also drew criticism from various activists and experts. Omar Baddar, a political analyst, slammed the announcement, saying, "He’s essentially declaring the destruction of Palestinian society and the scattering of its people."

American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called out Trump for "openly calling for ethnic cleansing."

International law experts and human rights organizations have, meanwhile, raised concerns over the legality of Trump's proposal, warning that forced displacement and foreign occupation of Gaza would violate numerous international treaties and conventions.

"This plan disregards the rights of the Palestinian people and sets a dangerous precedent for unilateral land grabs," said Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a US-based civil rights organization.

Netanyahu, however, praised Trump as "the greatest friend Israel has ever had" and suggested that the scheme could "change history."

The ICC-wanted Israeli official’s trip to the US has already conjured up strong denouncement on the part of various regional and international organizations, figures, and groups over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Separately, Trump cast doubt on the stability of a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli regime and Hamas that is expected to end the genocide.

"The [Israeli] strikes could start tomorrow. There’s not a lot left to strike," he said amid Tel Aviv’s regular violations of the deal.

He also alleged that the “American-led plan” would lead to the war-wracked Palestinian territory’s “transformation.”

Critics, though, have argued that Trump's proposal could be intended to divert attention from ongoing controversies surrounding his administration, while US Senator Chris Murphy has called it a "reckless distraction from domestic issues."

Mandya: An eight-year-old girl has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two boys inside the washroom of her school in Mandya district of Karnataka, police said on Monday.

The incident was alleged to have occurred on January 31. However, the complaint came to light on Sunday when the girl's mother approached the police, they said.

Citing her statement, a senior police officer said that the class two student of a government school has alleged that two boys allegedly took her to the washroom where they threatened her to remove clothes and thereafter thrashed her with a stick. They also beat her on her private parts.

One of the boys she identified is her classmate while another is from a higher class, he said.

The girl alleged that the accused students threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone but later she confided in her mother, he added.

Based on the statement of the girl, a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against the two boys and an investigation is underway to ascertain the sequence of events and verify facts, said Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi.

As part of the investigation, police are also reviewing the CCTV footage from the school premises.
However, the medical examination report of the girl did not reveal any such injury on private parts, police said, adding that statements of the boys will be recorded and further action will be taken accordingly.

"We are currently investigating the case and are verifying details given by the girl in her statement. There are some inconsistencies in her account," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP State President B Y Vijayendra condemned the incident on social media platform X alleging that law and order in the state had completely deteriorated with cases of rape of minors, assault on women and daylight robberies being reported in the state.

He demanded that strict action be taken against the perpetrators.