14 Medical Students Suspended from College Hostel for Alleged Ragging of Junior Students

Gandhinagar: Fourteen students of a medical college in Gujarat have been suspended from the college hostel after they were accused of ragging junior students of the same college.

The third-year students involved in the alleged ragging incident have been suspended for two years, and the accused students from the second-year have been suspended for six months.

This incident occurred at a GMERS College (Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society) under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat.

The college administration has taken action in the matter after receiving a formal complaint from the first-year students who were victimised.

The CCTV footage of the boys' hostel has been accessed and reviewed by authorities.

Gujarat Health Minister Praful Patel said that the government has taken note of the matter and action has been taken against the accused students.

"Students of second and third year have mentally harassed first-year students. Officials have immediately taken action on the matter and suspended seven accused third-year students for two years from the hostel and suspended some students of second year for six months. I urge all students to stay united," he said.

Ragging has had disastrous effects on students and even claimed the lives of some.

Earlier, on September 11, the Delhi High Court raised grave concern over the rising number of student suicides in higher education institutions, emphasising the urgent need for a robust and responsive anti-ragging system.

This came as the Court disposed of two petitions filed by the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, which had challenged the University Grants Commission's (UGC) decision to award the National Ragging Prevention Programme contract to the Centre for Youth (C4Y) Society.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal observed that student suicides are becoming alarmingly frequent and called for immediate action.

"A proper, functional, and effective Anti-Ragging Helpline is certainly an immediate and utmost necessity. This can brook no delay lest we lose more young lives to this scourge," the judges stated.

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