6 MBBS students expelled for 3 months, fined Rs 25,000 each for ragging juniors

Mandi: Taking note of instances of ragging of junior medicos, six senior medical students of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, Nerchowk, have been expelled from the hostel for six months, barred from participating in academic activities for three months and fined Rs 25,000 each on Saturday.

All these senior students of MBBS course were found to be indulging in ragging juniors during the committee enquiry into the incident.

Based on an anti-ragging committee report, all the six students have been expelled from the hostel and debarred from attending classes. 

It came to light that the some seniors of the 2022 batch allegedly harassed and ragged the juniors. The matter was first noticed by the college authorities on September 15. As soon as the college authorities became aware of the incident, they formed an anti-ragging committee to investigate the case and take action accordingly. 

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Talking to The Tribune, college Principal Dr DK Verma said “The hospital authorities convened a meeting of its anti-ragging committee today. After a detailed inquiry, the committee proposed action against the guilty students,” he added.

“Six students, including two girls, were involved in the incident. They have been expelled from the hostel for six months and debarred from attending classes for three months. A fine of Rs 25,000 each has also been imposed on them,” he said.

"The college administration had zero tolerance towards ragging and strict action had been taken against the guilty," added the principal.

Medical dialogues had earlier reported in June this year that the National Medical Commission (NMC) asked all the medical institutes across the country to submit compliance report on the Anti-Ragging measures by June 30, 2023.

Referring to the "National Medical Commission (Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical Colleges and Institutions) Regulations, 2021", the Apex medical commission pointed out that while it has already been one and half years since the regulations were passed, no medical colleges, institutes submitted the compliance report as per the directions.

Over the years, NMC has addressed the issue of ragging in medical colleges and introduced measures to put a stop to it.

Those Regulations specified the definition of ragging and also the actions that may constitute ragging. NMC also mentioned about the measures to prohibit and prevent ragging by institutions including the duties and responsibilities of the institutes, measures required to be taken by the medical colleges, issue of migration, transfer or conduct certificates, measures to encourage healthy interaction between freshers and seniors, Sensitisation of institutional employees and staff towards ragging, Institutional committees and related measures, Anti-ragging squad, Student Affairs or Hostel Committee, duties of the universities, etc.

Later, in an attempt to address the instances of ragging in the medical colleges NMC set up an anti-ragging cell to examine and resolve complaints forwarded by anti-ragging committees of different medical colleges. Issuing an order in this regard last year, NMC the Apex medical education regulatory body informed that the cell members of this anti-ragging cell shall meet once every month in order to take up the ragging complaints and undertake an independent enquiry.

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