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Universities are meant to be centers for academic development and critical thinking, serving as beacons of knowledge and personal growth. However, these institutions have too often been tainted by the brutal practice of ragging—acts disguised as “bonding” or “socializing” that inflict lasting physical and psychological harm on students.
This legacy of cruelty stretches back decades in Sri Lanka:
In 1975, Rupa Rathnaseeli from Peradeniya University, attempting to escape sexual abuse, leapt from a second-floor window and was left paralyzed before later taking her own life.
In 1992, a female student was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend at Kelaniya University.
In 1993, Chaminda Punchihewa lost his life to ragging at Ruhuna University.
In 1997, a first-year female student at Ruhuna University took her own life following severe sexual harassment.
In 1998, Varapragash died due to injuries from ragging at Peradeniya University.
Despite the introduction of the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998, which includes severe penalties—up to 10 years imprisonment and compensation—ragging continues to claim lives. The law exists, but enforcement has remained lax.
Subsequent tragedies include:
The 2002 killing of Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha at Sri Jayawardenepura University while intervening to prevent ragging.
Multiple cases in 2011 and 2013 involving sexual assault and harassment at Ruhuna and Peradeniya universities.
Suicides linked to ragging in 2014, 2015, and 2022 at Sabaragamuwa, Peradeniya, and other universities.
Incidents involving severe injury, hospitalization, and arrests in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, and as recently as 2025.
Despite these repeated tragedies, efforts to curb ragging often revolve around committees and campaigns aimed at “attitudinal change” rather than rigorous enforcement of existing laws. The impact on victims is profound: some abandon their education altogether, others suffer long-term trauma, and while those with means may escape abroad, many others are left to endure the abuse.
It is imperative that the recent tragic death of a student at Sabaragamuwa University does not become just another statistic in this long, shameful history.
