22 Medical Students To Face Six Month Suspension For ‘Verbal Ragging’

Twenty-two second year students of Madurai Medical College are to face suspension for six months for ‘verbally ragging’ their juniors at the college hostel on Thursday.



MADURAI: Twenty-two second year students of Madurai Medical College are to face suspension for six months for ‘verbally ragging’ their juniors at the college hostel on Thursday.
College Dean Dr D Maruthupandian said a complaint in this regard was lodged with the Anti-Ragging Cell (New Delhi) and action would be taken based on CCTV evidence and written statement given by the victims.

Speaking to Express, a first year student said there were nearly 80 first year students at the men’s hostel. “Soon after joining the college, we were told by our seniors that incidents of occasional ragging was in practice. On Wednesday, our seniors told that we would be ragged the next day and those who were not in support of ragging would face the risk of being ostracised till the completion of the course.”

He went on to say, “On Thursday evening, about 15 students had trespassed into the secluded block meant for first year students and instructed us not to talk to girls, not to fold up shirt sleeves, to sleep dressed in formals only, to not lock our mobile phones using password, to salute them every time they pass by and not to enter hostel mess before 1 pm, even if our classes get over at 12 pm.When we took the matter to the third year students, who are more friendly with us, they said it was a common and casual practice at the college and that we should keep mum about it. In fact, they told they had given similar ‘instructions’ to the freshers when they were in second year.”

Around 2.30 am on Friday, some of the seniors got into the rooms of the first year students to check if all of them were sleeping dressed in formals. “When they found that some weren’t, they took note of them and left the place saying that those who disobeyed their ‘diktat’ would be taken care of later,” he said.
Meanwhile, state health secretary J Radhakrishnan said medical colleges in the State follow a zero-tolerance policy towards ragging. “Even isolated cases of ragging will be taken very seriously,” he said.

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