Instances of ragging and subsequent suspension of students and inquiries have been reported from the Government Medical College in Nalgonda and Government Medical College in Khammam.
Published Nov 19, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 19, 2024 | 9:00 AM
An assistant professor at the Khammam Medical College has been accused of tonsuring the head of a first-year MBBS student.
Ragging menace has reared its ugly head after the beginning of the new — albeit delayed — MBBS academic year.
The academic year was delayed after the admission process was mired in the NEET controversy, but it did not deter the ‘seniors’ from showing off their perceived domination and uppityness in Telangana’s government medical colleges.
Instances of ragging and subsequent suspension of students and inquiries have already been reported from the Government Medical College in Nalgonda and Government Medical College in Khammam.
On 11 November, a case of ragging was reported at the men’s hostel of the Government Medical College in Nalgonda. Senior students allegedly harassed five first-year students from Kerala, subjecting them to verbal abuse, physical intimidation, and demeaning tasks.
The juniors, overwhelmed by the harassment and threats, lodged a formal complaint with the college principal on 12 November.
The college administration acted swiftly. After a preliminary inquiry and a meeting of the Anti-Ragging Committee, four senior students were suspended.
Two students from the 2020 batch received six-month suspensions, a student from the 2023 batch faced a one-month suspension, and a junior doctor was suspended for three months.
Principal Dr N Srivani assured that measures were being taken to prevent such incidents in the future, including proposed anti-ragging awareness programmes in collaboration with the police.
Reports indicated that the ragging included both verbal and physical harassment.
An audio recording that surfaced during the inquiry revealed seniors berating juniors in their hostel rooms. One senior could be heard saying, “Jammu and Kashmir students are giving us respect; you are below us. Why are you not respecting us? We have previously ragged three other batches as well.”
The toxic environment escalated when the Kerala-origin junior students sought help from senior students of their state, who were in their fourth year.
These seniors intervened, urging the Telangana seniors to cease the harassment. However, the ragging persisted, leading to a confrontation between the two groups on 11 November.
This altercation culminated in a physical fight as the Kerala seniors insisted that the ragging must stop.
In a separate incident at the Government Medical College in Khammam, an assistant professor has been accused of being involved in ragging a first-year medical student.
The controversy arose on 12 November, following a dispute over the student’s hairstyle, which led to actions that the student perceived as both humiliating and coercive.
Vivek, a first-year medical student from the Mulugu district, became the target of ridicule from second-year students for his hairstyle, which they mockingly referred to as a “Chinese hairstyle.”
To avoid further harassment, Vivek trimmed his hair as suggested by the seniors. However, the matter escalated when assistant professor Dr. Rahman Shareef, a member of the college’s anti-ragging committee, intervened without involving the college authorities.
Dr. Shareef reportedly decided to take the matter into his own hands, claiming it was necessary to “defuse tensions” and instill discipline. He escorted Vivek to a barber and compelled him to shave his head completely.
While Dr. Shareef argued that his actions were not intended to humiliate the student, Vivek felt deeply embarrassed and submitted a formal complaint to the college principal, Dr S Rajeshwara Rao, on 13 November.
Principal Dr Rao acted promptly to address the incident and Dr. Shareef was removed from his duties on the anti-ragging committee and relieved of his hostel responsibilities.
Also, a four-member panel was set up to investigate the incident thoroughly and provide recommendations for further action.
Telangana Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha expressed anger over the recent ragging incident at the Khammam Government Medical College. He ordered strict action against those responsible and advised students not to ruin their future in the name of ragging.
The minister expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing ragging incidents in medical colleges.
“The minister held a teleconference with senior officials on Sunday to discuss the issue. He expressed outrage over the incident at the Khammam Government Medical College, where a first-year student was forced to shave his head,” an official statement said.
“The minister directed an immediate inquiry into the incident and ordered strict action against those responsible. He emphasised the importance of preventing such incidents from recurring,” it added.
Narasimha further instructed that awareness programmes on the negative impacts of ragging be conducted across all colleges and recommended involving the police department to support this initiative.
He urged senior officials to ensure that ragging does not adversely affect students’ future and advised senior students to foster friendly relationships with their juniors, rather than subjecting them to fear or distress under the guise of ragging.
It should be noted that one in four MBBS students has a mental disorder, while one in three postgraduate medical students experiences suicidal thoughts, according to a report by the National Task Force for Mental Health and Wellbeing, established by the National Health Commission(NMC).
The report said that while institutional cases of ragging rarely come to public attention, the survey by the task force revealed that 2,486 of the surveyed MBBS students (9.7 percent) confirmed having such experiences, while 3,449 students (13.5 percent) preferred not to discuss ragging.
“Regarding institutional measures, 17,932 students (70.1 percent) believe their college has adequate measures to prevent and address ragging, while 3,618 students (14.1 percent) disagree, and 4,040 students (15.8 percent) are unsure,” the report stated.
Among the 5,337 PG students surveyed, a significant number—930 students (18 percent)—reported that ragging is still prevalent and has adversely affected them, highlighting the ongoing issue within some academic environments.
Additionally, 1,425 PG students (27 percent) reported experiencing harassment from senior PG students in clinical settings, while 1,669 students (31 percent) reported similar experiences from faculty and senior residents.
“Ragging has long been a part of medical colleges, but its prevalence has decreased significantly over the years. If the culture is to be blamed, it’s important to note that Khammam Medical College only began its first MBBS batch in 2023, so it has just two batches,” a representative of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) told South First in an interview.
“In comparison, the Nalgonda Medical College, established in 2019, has seen around six batches. The issue isn’t rooted in a longstanding tradition but is influenced by several factors,” he said.
The TJUDA office-bearer raised concerns about the lack of proper supervision in hostels and academic premises.
“The physical separation of the academic buildings and hostels is a significant issue. They are located three to five kilometres apart, and only a few faculty members are designated as wardens. This dual responsibility, between academics and hostel management, results in a lack of oversight, allowing ragging to continue unchecked. This environment emboldens seniors, making them feel they can engage in ragging without fear of consequences,” he explained.
The representative pointed out that the first few days of classes for the first-year students were conducted online.
“The physical classes for the first-year MBBS students began only after Deepavali, on 4 November, and this is their first week on campus. The sensitization process for senior students was not conducted properly, which is why we are seeing instances of ragging. Since the physical classes have only just started, these incidents are primarily involving first-year students,” he explained.
He also noted that ragging was often driven by entrenched cultural norms in medical colleges, where a hierarchy between seniors and juniors exists.
“Seniors may view asserting dominance over juniors as part of a rite of passage, which justifies abusive behaviour as tradition. This toxic mindset creates an atmosphere where respect is demanded, not earned,” he said. “This is exactly what happened in these two medical colleges, where seniors sought recognition and, in the process, mistreated the juniors.”
Despite the existence of anti-ragging policies, he emphasised that there was often a lack of proper implementation and awareness programmes.
“At Nalgonda Medical College, for example, students reported that no anti-ragging initiatives had been conducted since the academic year began, leading to a lack of understanding about the severity of ragging and its consequences.”
He also expressed concern over the involvement of faculty in perpetuating ragging behaviours. “At Khammam Medical College, for instance, an assistant professor allegedly forced a student to tonsure his head instead of addressing the bullying from seniors. This undermines trust in authority figures and perpetuates a cycle of abuse,” he said.
The representative also pointed out that tensions between students from different regions, such as Telangana and Kerala, can amplify ragging.
“Seniors from one region may feel entitled to assert superiority over juniors from other backgrounds, creating further divisions and aggression,” he noted.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
