• Find that victim was not suffering from depression/mental illness, and that some uni officials sought to prevent ragging incidents being made public   
• Most complaints from S’gamuwa Uni followed by Eastern, South Eastern Universities

Preliminary investigations have revealed that a second-year student at the Faculty of Technology of the Sabaragamuwa University committed suicide recently due to ragging, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has stated.

A student studying at the said University died by suicide on 29 April. Subsequently, the CID launched an investigation into the incident. As a result of the investigation, a group of senior students suspected to be involved in the incident have been arrested and are currently being held in remand custody. Officers have also recorded statements from several factions, including the said university’s administration. 

According to the findings of the investigation thus far, it has been revealed that the student committed suicide due to ragging. It has also been reported that the student was not suffering from depression or any mental illness, the CID said.

Additionally, investigations have revealed that some senior officials of the university administration were taking steps to prevent details of the ragging incidents within the university from becoming public.

So far this year, more than 30 complaints related to ragging have been reported to the CID, with the highest number coming from the said University, exceeding 10 complaints. Complaints have also been received from the Eastern and South Eastern (Oluvil) Universities regarding ragging incidents.

CID officers have stated that further inquiries are being conducted and that strict legal action will be taken against those involved. If the students are found to be involved in ragging incidents, they may face up to 20 years of imprisonment, according to the CID. Meanwhile, the Police has requested university students to report any ragging-related complaints via the 1997 hotline.