Ragging has long been a deeply rooted issue in Sri Lanka’s higher education system. While often dismissed as harmless pranks or initiation rituals, it has frequently escalated into serious psychological and physical abuse, leaving a dark and painful legacy across universities in the country.
Charith Dilshan Dayaratne, a 23-year-old second-year student at the Faculty of Technology and Engineering, University of Sabaragamuwa, appears to be its latest victim. Charith’s family made the heartbreaking discovery of his lifeless body on April 29 at their home in Ihalagama, Gampola, in what is believed to be an apparent suicide. The reason, according to his parents, was that Charith had been severely ragged by a group of seniors at the university. According to them, Charith had related this horrific experience to his aunt, before taking his life.
Charith’s visibly distraught mother Irosha Dayaratne told the media this week that Charith had returned to the University on April 25 to look into his Mahapola scholarship funding as well as to attend a Sinhala and Tamil New Year event there. Hardly coherent due to her grief, the mother said some students had forcefully removed Charith’s pants, pushed him around and subjected him to various forms of abuse.
She also accused the abusers of circulating a rumour that Charith was suffering from depression and attempting to portray it as the reason for his untimely death. “This is not true. There is evidence that this is not true,” she said.
“Do not let another child suffer the same fate as my son. Give justice to my son,” she said. She also called on officials to not allow the students involved in the incident to continue as students at the university and to take appropriate action against them.
According to Charith’s aunt Harshani Tharanga, it was the fact that he had worn a pair of shorts that drew the anger and abuse of his seniors. “He told me everything when he came home on April 28. He’s not the kind of child who can endure that kind of treatment,” she said. “Do not let ragging continue in Sri Lanka’s universities. Mothers are now afraid to send their children to universities,” she added.
The family has now lodged a complaint with the Pussellawa Police against the alleged perpetrators. A group of fellow students has also lodged a similar complaint with the Samanala Wewa Police. According to the Police, a letter left by Charith makes no mention of a ragging incident but claims he suffered from intense psychological stress.
However, the incident has drawn strong reactions from various groups. Among the first to speak out against the tragedy was the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA). In a press release, FUTA called for an impartial investigation into the sudden death of 23-year-old Charith Dilshan. While expressing deep shock over the incident, FUTA Secretary, Senior Lecturer Charudatta Ilangasinghe, said that there are serious allegations suggesting the tragedy may be linked to a pattern of systematic ragging-related abuse.
Barrage of criticism
While the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) has come under a barrage of criticism over its failure to eliminate ragging from the higher education system despite being the main student body, it too issued a press release calling for an impartial investigation. While social media users pointed out the IUSF’s failure to hold a press conference or a protest on the matter, which is common practice by the student body in relation to various other issues, it insisted it was against ragging.
Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, IUSF Convener Madushan Chandrajith called on the authorities to conduct a fair and impartial investigation. He said that the IUSF would fully support efforts to hold those responsible accountable, should the allegations be substantiated.
The IUSF acknowledged that allegations have surfaced linking Charith’s death to ragging and urged the authorities to carry out a thorough and unbiased investigation. They called for strict accountability and punishment if those responsible are identified.
Reaffirming its long-held opposition to ragging, the Federation condemned it as a regressive cultural practice with no place in modern universities. It also said that incidents like these are often misused by the authorities to justify the privatisation of education, despite ragging never having played a role in the true achievements of the student movement.
Underscoring the urgent need for cultural change, the IUSF called for the complete eradication of outdated and harmful traditions from university life and urged all students to engage in meaningful dialogue to end such practices for good.
Meaningful change
But this time, public outrage suggests that statements alone will not be enough to calm the growing demand for accountability and meaningful change, especially since this is just one of a series of incidents reported from the same university. In 2015, Amali Chathurika, a student of the Applied Science faculty of Sabaragamuwa University also died by suicide after allegedly undergoing severe ragging and abuse at the hands of several seniors. Writing a letter before her death, she had requested her parents to prevent any student from the university attending her funeral. Citizen vigilantes have been sharing images and other details of the alleged abusers, and encouraging other users to share them widely as well. This in turn has also caused bullying of the students identified as raggers without the allegations having been proved against them yet.
Another social media user appeared to be creating a database which allows third parties to submit information on those involved in ragging. Calls have also been increasing to ban students found involved in ragging from universities and cancelling their studentship while some have suggested they should also be barred from State and even other forms of employment.
Taking to social media platform LinkedIn, founder and CEO of Cogntix, Naresh Shanmugaraj said his organisation has decided to check with faculties if any applicants for intern or fresher positions were involved in ragging. He said Cogntix will start this process from the next batch of interns to be admitted. “We should raise our voice against ragging,” he said.
Another social media user highlighted that ragging not only exists in state universities but in some private universities while sharing her own unpleasant experiences in such an institution.
The authorities have announced investigations and vowed to take decisive action if allegations of ragging are confirmed in connection with the recent death of a student at the University of Sabaragamuwa. The Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Training stated that if it is established that ragging led to the student’s death, all those responsible will be held fully accountable under the law.
In a statement on the incident, the Ministry revealed that a Board of Inquiry has already been appointed to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of the second-year student. Once the board submits its findings, the University Management and the University Grants Commission (UGC) will determine the next steps.
Three-member committee
Vice Chancellor of the University of Sabaragamuwa, Prof. Sunil Shantha, confirmed the formation of a separate three-member committee to investigate the tragedy. He said the committee has been directed to submit its report without delay.
On Friday, a group of students presented themselves at the Samanala Wewa Police Station for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation into Charith’s death. But no matter what action is taken now, it comes too late for Charith and his grieving family.
Charith’s father Ruwan Dayaratne shared with the media the hopes and dreams they had nurtured for their son. He made a heartfelt appeal to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to eradicate ragging and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
“We worked tirelessly and endured many hardships to raise our children and send them to university,” he said. “We had dreamed that our son would become a technical engineer at the Laxapana Power Station, that he would graduate wearing the very suit he has on today. Instead, we are forced to bury him in it.”
