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Friend’s disclosure linking Sabaragamuwa University student’s suicide to ragging triggers social media outrage
View(s):- University VC surprised that ragging incident had not been reported to authorities; says committee appointed to probe incident in addition to police probe
By Tharushi Weerasinghe
Investigations have been launched on multiple fronts following the death of Sabaragamuwa University student, which has been linked to ragging.
The suicide of 23-year-old Charith Dilshan, a second-year student of the Department of Engineering Technology, in his home in Gampola, caused outrage on social media when a friend of his claimed that he had been the victim of an extreme ragging incident during the university Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations at the university’s hostel premises.
Charith Dilshan
Sabaragamuwa University Vice Chancellor Prof. Sunil Shanth told the Sunday Times that the university had not received reports of the incident through any of the channels available to students.
He said he has appointed a committee chaired by Senior Prof. A.A.Y. Amarasinghe, Prof. Kapila Rathnayaka and Attorney-at-Law Y.S. Chandrasekara to investigate the matter in addition to the ongoing police investigation following a complaint filed by a friend of Charith’s at the Samanlaweva Police Station. The Sunday Times called the Samanalaweva Police hotline repeatedly on Friday to no avail.
The vice chancellor also noted that while he was shocked that the incident had not been reported to university authorities, he said the student in question was currently enrolled in a course that was carried out online via Zoom. “Second-year engineering technology students are not generally permitted to enter the hostel premises without explicit permission,” he noted. Stressing that ragging was an extremely illegal practice, Prof. Shantha noted that one of the issues the university, like many others in rural areas, faced was the absence of a boundary wall. “We designated staff such as marshals, senior student counsellors, wardens and sub-wardens, all of whom are there to ensure student safety, but nothing is keeping any danger out because the university functions more like a village than a walled-off premise, which is usually done to give students their freedom.”
He added that the university has repeatedly taken severe actions against reported incidents of ragging. “We once suspended 52 students involved in a ragging incident, so there is action taken when we are informed,” he said.
He also mentioned that mental health support is available for students at the Sithsarana counselling centreon campus and that many anti-ragging initiatives are in place, specifically targeting first-year students. “We were also surprised by the fact that it was a second-year student this happened to.”
Much of the discourse around ragging happens in anonymous online spaces, as students are afraid of becoming targets. A user, Greatcomback, on Reddit claimed that this (ragging) was a common practice at Sabaragamuwa University. “First years and second years are not allowed to go to the washroom in shorts, which is very stupid, but yeah, it is enforced by all these bullies.”
Charith’s university friend had told a TV outlet that Charith had been ragged for wearing shorts to go to the toilet. The student claimed that Charith was made to squat on a table at the premises in just his shorts and that he was pricked with safety pins and then thrown into a metal cupboard. “He was then made to walk around the premises in his underwear,” the student had told the TV station.
There has been an outcry on social media against what happened to Charith, with other ragging survivors speaking out against the culture of impunity exploited by seniors. Students from other universities are also publicly calling out their tormentors. A Google Drive link consisting of the information of Charith’s alleged bullies is also in circulation. The Sunday Times tried calling the phone numbers that were displayed, but one number was disconnected while the other was on “roaming” mode.
Police Media Deputy Director ASP Fredrick Wootler told the Sunday Times that if the ragging claim is found to be true, those responsible will most likely face up to two years of rigorous imprisonment. “Police can arrest those found responsible without a warrant in these cases as empowered by the relevant Acts,” he noted.
Ragging in Sri Lanka is prohibited under the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998. This law defines ragging as any act that causes physical or psychological harm, fear, shame, or embarrassment to a student. Offences under the Act include verbal and physical abuse, sexual harassment, intimidation, and forcing students to perform humiliating acts. Penalties vary based on the severity of the offence, ranging from two years’ imprisonment and fines for basic ragging to up to ten years’ imprisonment and a ban from university admission for serious cases involving injury or sexual harassment. The law also restricts bail for grave offences, which can only be granted by a High Court.
In addition to legal provisions, universities maintain anti-ragging committees and disciplinary boards, while the University Grants Commission operates an online complaint portal at www.eugc.ac.lk/complaint/portal to support victims and ensure accountability.
However, students claim that these systems are insufficient and fail to resolve the real issue. “Ragging continues because of the severe lack of accountability of perpetrators – the most common punishment given when someone is found guilty of it is suspension, which sometimes makes it worse for the complainant when the suspended student returns,” said one economics student from a state university who wished to remain anonymous. She felt that even courts did not use the Act to the full extent of its scope, as few cases ever find justice in court.
She noted that this was worsened by the rewards given to those who “tolerate” the ragging in terms of sharing lecture notes and other forms of support that have been propped up as “favours”. “We need the stakeholders that are on the frontlines with students, like lecturers and the administration, to take a stronger lead because they are the ones who can break through this enforced silence that victims are scared into.”
The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations called for an “impartial probe” into the incident on Friday, as did the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF), which called for strict punishment for any individuals found responsible.
Speaking with the Sunday Times, IUSF Convener Madushan Chandrajith claimed that the IUSF has, over time, pushed anti-ragging conversations into the mainstream through its student networks. “What I see here is that while there are laws against it, we are fighting to bring an attitudinal change among students who engage in this,” he said. He noted that the IUSF currently carries out university-wide discussions on the harms of ragging as part of its programmes. He also denied that this was a practice ever propagated by the IUSF. “This is a backwards practice that has been carried on for generations that we are completely against – anyone involved should be held responsible under the law.”
Organisations like LEADS also shared statements on the need for investigations leading to “impartial decisions, genuine accountability, and sustained preventative measures”. The statement also noted that students who engage in ragging are often carrying their unresolved trauma from past abuse or exposure to violence, making it essential to address ragging with both accountability and a compassionate, trauma-informed approach.
“The death of Charith Dilshan must not become just another statistic—it must become a turning point in the fight to end ragging and all forms of abuse in educational institutions,” said Monroe Jayasuriya, CEO of LEADS.
Charith’s parents have also filed complaints regarding the harassment their son underwent with the Pussellawa Police.
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