Forced to stand till 3 am! AIIMS Raipur MBBS students allege nightlong ragging by seniors

Raipur: Allegations of ragging have emerged from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur, where a group of second-year MBBS students accused their seniors of subjecting them to ragging. The student reported being forced to stand until 3 a.m with some girls falling unconscious due to exhaustion. 

The students from the 2023 batch complained that the seniors allegedly harassed them. They claimed that the seniors called them at midnight and locked them in a room taking away their mobile phones. Further, they claimed being forced to march on the basketball ground wearing only t-shirts in the cold. 

Also read- Violation of Anti-ragging protocols! 7 MBBS students of BRD Medical College suspended

As per a TOI news report, The incident came to light after the juniors sent an anonymous letter to Supreme Court lawyer Meera Patel, who is the convenor and legal head of 'Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE).

In the letter, the students described how they were ragged on November 16 by the seniors. They claimed that the ordeal went on till midnight in the presence of security guards until some girls collapsed due to exhaustion from standing till 3 am. The juniors alleged that they were abused for an apparent 'security breach'. The student further added the names of the seniors in the letter. 

After receiving the letter, Meera Patel sent the complaint to the institute, asking for quick action. In response, the institute conveyed the matter to the anti-ragging committee for an inquiry and an investigation is underway. 

AIIMS Raipur’s spokesperson, Mrityunjay Rathore, told Edex Live, "The institute maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards ragging.  The junior and senior students have been housed separately on campus. Following the complaint, the anti-ragging committee has launched an investigation, and the administration is actively addressing the matter."

Expressing concern over the incident, Dr Rakesh Gupta, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Raipur said "This is the second case of ragging in AIIMS Raipur. Let us tell you that there are strict laws against ragging in India. It is also the responsibility of the institutes that no student should be involved in such activities inside or outside the campus. If found guilty, a fine of Rs 10,000 or a sentence of two years can be imposed."

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that this year, within weeks of the commencement of the 2024 academic year on October 14, the anti-ragging cell of the University Grants Commission (UGC) received more than 55 complaints from medical colleges across the country. This number was almost 42% of the total number of complaints received from all the colleges.

Even though there are only around 700 medical colleges in the country, comparatively much lesser than the number of engineering and technology colleges (8000), in 2024 alone, the anti-ragging cell received 800 complaints and among them 222 were from the medical colleges and 230 were from engineering and polytechnic colleges.

Also read- UGC Receives 55 ragging Complaints within Weeks of Commencement of MBBS Academic Session: Report