Kottayam (Kerala), Dec 18 (PTI): A first year student of the Government Polytechnic College here has been hospitalised with kidney damage after he was brutally ragged by eight senior students, police said today.

Police said the student has been admitted to a hospital in Thrissur and was put on dialysis after doctors diagnosed him with kidney damage.

The accused allegedly forced the victim to consume liquor mixed with some harmful powder following six hours of brutal ragging which included hard physical exercises like push-ups.

The eight students of the institute at Nattakom in the district are absconding after police booked them for allegedly ragging their juniors in the hostel.

The students, accused of ragging first year pupils in the hostel attached to the polytechnic, were booked early this month. They have also been suspended from the institution.

The victim underwent dialysis three times after his admission in the hospital 10 days ago, police said.

Police in Chingavanam in the district is probing the case.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy visited the student at the hospital in Thrissur.

Chandy urged the government to bear the expenses of the student's treatment.

Earlier, in two separate complaints lodged with police, two students, including the one currently undergoing treatment at the Thrissur hospital, had alleged that they were subjected to brutal ragging by their seniors at the institute.

The other pupil is admitted to a private hospital in Eranakulam, police said.

The accused in the two incidents are members of the same group. Two cases have been registered against them, police said, adding that investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, the state human rights commission has sought a report from the education department on the alleged ragging incident.