Smile returns to their scarred faces

KOCHI: A week after the nightmarish experience, a smile bloomed on Arun Raj’s face as he saw his friend, Geevarghese. Arun, one of the two engineering students who were brutally attacked by a gang of senior students on train, came to see his friend Geevarghese who is undergoing treatment at the Specialists’ Hospital in Kochi. Arun of Eramalloor, who underwent treatment at a hospital in Thrissur, dropped in Kochi to see his friend, on his way back home.“We don’t fear anyone. We will go back to college as soon as we get well,” said Arun and Geevarghese. It seemed that the painful incident has instilled  courage in them. Arunraj and Geevarghese are the two students of Gnanamani Engineering College, Salem, who were brutally attacked by a gang of Malayali students senior to them.“Since we left Thrissur, he was saying that he wanted to see his friend,” said Arun’s father Aravindakshan. Both had suffered wounds on their face.Geevarghese’s mother Annamma John and close relatives met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and brought the issue to his notice. “No student should face such an experience in future. We expect that the government would take appropriate steps”, Annamma said.Prasad, a close relative of Geevarghese said that they expect the government to take steps to book the culprits. “We have been keeping in touch with the Erode police with whom the case is registered,” he said.The gang which  attacked the students included Akhil Babu of Ochira, Tintu Abraham of Uzhavoor, Kiran Nair of Parassala, Ebin Babu of Malappuram and Justin. Justin’s whereabouts are unknown to Arun and Geevarghese.Arun and Geevarghese were confronted by senior students in the general compartment of Chennai Mail on Friday night as the train left Salem station. The gang demanded cash and ATM cards. When resisted, they were beaten up with iron rods and their ears pierced.Both of them were thrown out of the train at Erode station but Arun managed to get into the train again and alighted at Palakkad station where he got first aid. From there he was shifted to a hospital in Thrissur. Geevarghese contacted the Erode station master who took him to a hospital. His relatives later arrived and took him to Kochi.