Pon Navarasu, a student of Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India was murdered on 6 November 1996.
The next day John David, a senior student in the same college surrendered to judicial custody and confessed to the murder after a week-long interrogation.
The police said that David had assaulted Navarasu during a ragging session in his hostel room as the latter refused to strip and lick footwear.
'[4] The gruesome nature of the murder caused a public outcry and the Tamil Nadu government passed an anti-ragging ordinance criminalising ragging.
[2][8][9][10] John David was convicted of Navarasu's murder and was given a double life sentence (to be served consecutively) by the Cuddalore district sessions court on 11 March 1998.