Video showing students being kicked at AP institute surfaces

A video showing some students kicking and beating up their

juniors at an engineering institute in Andhra Pradesh has sent shock-waves even

as the college authorities today said the footage was not related to

"ragging".The National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Warangal found

itself in a tight spot after the video surfaced.A Telugu news channel yesterday aired the video clipping,

alleging that some junior students were "ragged" with seniors hitting

them on their back and forcing one of them to strip.However, NIT Director T Srinivas Rao maintained that the

incident was not ragging but actually related to birthday celebrations on the

campus."These video clippings pertain to the incident of

birthday bumps reported in February-March this year wherein action has already

been initiated against the students involved. Parents were also informed about

the incident and the final year engineering students, who were involved in the

act, were warned about their conduct," Rao told PTI by phone.However, a Committee of Inquiry (comprising NIT officials)

has been constituted to ascertain whether the video footage shown on the TV

channel was old or new. No police complaint has been lodged in this regard, Rao

said.The NIT Director felt some anti-social elements were trying

to destabilise the institute and bring disrepute to it.Meanwhile, around 40 activists of some student organisations

were taken into custody by police after they stormed into the Administrative

Block of the NIT and allegedly tried to manhandle Rao and ransack the premises

protesting against what they called failure of NIT authorities in not

controlling ragging incidents.