By Tharumalee Silva
Ragging took its toll on another student recently, that of a 23-year-old male who was studying for his National Diploma in Technology (NDT).
The student was studying his diploma offered by the University of Moratuwa in Homagama.
He committed suicide on 31 March because of the extremity of the ragging he was subjected to.
The student got himself transferred from the University of Jaffna after six months due to inhuman, extreme ragging, the Police Media Division stated.
“The student had moved to do a degree in engineering and to get away from the horrors he previously faced at the University of Jaffna. But much to his dismay, the ragging at NDT was much more unbearable,” a spokesman at the Police Media Unit told The Sunday Morning.
The spokesman said that the student was already under medication for depression and his parents had consulted several psychologists in Kurunegala prior to the student committing suicide.
The institute closed down on 15 March for nine consecutive days after a noticeable increase in ragging as well.
The student had written a letter addressed to his parents before he committed suicide.
In the letter, he had said that he was subjected to intense and cruel ragging continuously for seven to eight hours on some days, which left him in unbearable physical pain and this led to him facing depression.
Support Service Manager of the 1333 Telephone Counselling Service Ranil Thilakarathne said that a person commits suicide due to a lot of reasons and the main reasons are loneliness, relationship trouble, and financial issues.
“Our country has fallen into a state where students no longer attend university due to the threat of ragging. I have personally met students who are going through severe depression because of this,” he added.
He said that suicide victims are not selfish and commit suicide because they see no other option.
“What we see in outward appearance is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no one specific cause for committing suicide, it is a spiral of emotions, thoughts, and causes, and suicidal thoughts are the end result,” he said.
The Crisis Support Service hotline 1333 receives an average of 100 calls per day. If the caller has been having suicidal thoughts for over a month, the hotline proceeds to talk about the issue and console the individual.
However, if the individual who contacted them started having suicidal thoughts recently, the counsellors would proceed to contact a family member or a loved one of the individual while keeping in contact with the victim.
Thilakarathne also urged anyone who is suffering from depression or is having suicidal thoughts to call 1333. They offer services in all three languages free of charge, and most importantly, anonymity will be ensured.
Ragging took its toll on another student recently, that of a 23-year-old male who was studying for his National Diploma in Technology (NDT).
The student was studying his diploma offered by the University of Moratuwa in Homagama.
He committed suicide on 31 March because of the extremity of the ragging he was subjected to.
The student got himself transferred from the University of Jaffna after six months due to inhuman, extreme ragging, the Police Media Division stated.
“The student had moved to do a degree in engineering and to get away from the horrors he previously faced at the University of Jaffna. But much to his dismay, the ragging at NDT was much more unbearable,” a spokesman at the Police Media Unit told The Sunday Morning.
The spokesman said that the student was already under medication for depression and his parents had consulted several psychologists in Kurunegala prior to the student committing suicide.
The institute closed down on 15 March for nine consecutive days after a noticeable increase in ragging as well.
The student had written a letter addressed to his parents before he committed suicide.
In the letter, he had said that he was subjected to intense and cruel ragging continuously for seven to eight hours on some days, which left him in unbearable physical pain and this led to him facing depression.
Support Service Manager of the 1333 Telephone Counselling Service Ranil Thilakarathne said that a person commits suicide due to a lot of reasons and the main reasons are loneliness, relationship trouble, and financial issues.
“Our country has fallen into a state where students no longer attend university due to the threat of ragging. I have personally met students who are going through severe depression because of this,” he added.
He said that suicide victims are not selfish and commit suicide because they see no other option.
“What we see in outward appearance is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no one specific cause for committing suicide, it is a spiral of emotions, thoughts, and causes, and suicidal thoughts are the end result,” he said.
The Crisis Support Service hotline 1333 receives an average of 100 calls per day. If the caller has been having suicidal thoughts for over a month, the hotline proceeds to talk about the issue and console the individual.
However, if the individual who contacted them started having suicidal thoughts recently, the counsellors would proceed to contact a family member or a loved one of the individual while keeping in contact with the victim.
Thilakarathne also urged anyone who is suffering from depression or is having suicidal thoughts to call 1333. They offer services in all three languages free of charge, and most importantly, anonymity will be ensured.