The incident came a week after the Gandhi Medical College administration suspended 10 MBBS student over allegations of ragging.
Published Sep 17, 2023 | 10:28 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2023 | 6:31 AM
Kakatiya Medical College. (Creative Commons)
The police registered a case against seven third-year students of the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in the Warangal district of Telangana for thrashing a second-year student.
However, the college authorities said a total of 10 students from the third year are involved in the alleged ragging incident.
The incident, as per the FIR, occurred in the early hours of Thursday, 14 September. However, it came to light on Sunday.
This comes after 10 second-year and third-year students of the Gandhi Medical College’s MBBS course were suspended by the administration after they were allegedly found indulging in ragging activities on 11 September.
It also comes nearly seven months after Dr Dharawat Preethi, who was a postgraduate junior doctor of the KMC, allegedly committed suicide after being subjected to harassment and ragging by her senior, Dr Saif.
The student, based on whose complaint an FIR was lodged at the Matwada police station, said he was returning to his room in the hostel from the “reading room” after completing his studies around 12.45 am on Thursday when he encountered seven of his immediate seniors — from the 2022 batch — at the main gate of his hostel.
The complainant said the seniors, who were in an inebriated state, abused him and refused to leave. After that, when he proceeded to the room of one of his friends, the seniors became furious with him and thrashed him, he added.
The boy said he experienced difficulty breathing and fell unconscious, after which his friends took him to a nearby hospital, where he was admitted for treatment.
The Warangal police have registered a case against seven students under IPC Sections 294(b) (uttering obscene words), 323 (causing hurt), and 340 (wrongfully restraining a person), along with relevant sections of the Prohibition of Ragging Act of 1997.
KMC Principal Dr D Mohan Das told South First: “There was a quarrel between a second-year student and 10 third-year students, all of whom share the same hostel.”
He added: “The third-year students were celebrating a batchmate’s birthday. While the second-year student was returning from the library, there was an interaction and exchange of words between them. After the incident came to light, it was found that the two sides had had some interactions earlier as well.”
He continued: “The second-year boy pulled a muscle in his lower leg. He stayed at the hospital for a day and was discharged yesterday.”
Das denied the role of any first-year student in the alleged ragging instance, as some local news reports claimed.
The anti-ragging committee of the college is expected to record the statement of both sides on Tuesday.
“As Monday is a holiday, the committee hearing will take place on Tuesday. There will be the second-year student (complainant) and his three friends against the 10 students from the third year (seven of whom have been booked by police),” said Das.
While the second-year student lodged his complaint against seven students, Das noted that his peers reached out to the University Grants Commission through its anti-ragging portal.
“In the complaint with the UGC, 10 third-year students have been named. So the committee will inquire into all of them,” said Das.
On 22 February this year, the alleged suicide of Dr Preethi rocked the medical fraternity in Telangana and led to a furore across the country.
Warangal Commissioner of Police (CP) AV Ranganath told reporters back then that there was apparently targeted harassment of Preethi by Dr MA Saif, which could have driven her to attempt suicide.
While Saif was arrested on 23 February for the woman’s attempted suicide, Preethi died on 26 February at the NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad.
The suspension of Dr Saif, who was released on bail granted by a Warangal court on 20 April, by KMC was revoked by the Telangana High Court on Tuesday.
The Gandhi Medical College said its anti-ragging committee inquired into the incident that occurred a little more than a week ago, and found five students from the 2021 batch and five from the 2022 batch to be involved in ragging.
Asserting that there was no physical abuse, the Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr Ramesh Reddy told South First earlier, “Even verbal abuse is ragging. If someone makes you stand in their room for half an hour, that also is ragging. Any kind of degrading is ragging. Even if the student feels psychologically hurt by what the senior says, it is ragging.”
The National Medical Commission, in June this year, directed medical colleges to respond in a timely manner to complaints of harassment and ragging by issuing a notice.
“All the colleges are directed to comply with the Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical Colleges and Institutions, Regulations 2021 and submit a compliance report as per the attached format to this commission at the earliest and latest by 30 June, 2023. The report for the period ending 31 March, 2023, should include all the complaints received after UG and PG admission of 2021 and 2022 batch,” the NMC reportedly said.
