Ragging at Kolkata Medical College: 2 orthopaedics medicos allege harassment from seniors, doctors stage protest

Kolkata: Raising their voice against the alleged ragging of two junior residents by their seniors, the doctors at Medical College and Hospital (MCH) Kolkata on Tuesday staged a protest in front of the principal's office.

Apart from this, the junior doctors have also lodged a complaint before the Principal of the institute and demanded action against the senior doctors, who allegedly abused and tortured two of the first-year junior doctors.

The Medical College Students' Union and the Medical College Kolkata Resident Doctors' Association have also demanded action in this regard.

It has been claimed by the concerned junior doctors belonging to Unit 1 of the Orthopaedic Department that they had been facing physical and mental harassment by their seniors from the same unit for about 4 months ever since they joined the Unit. They further alleged that they also had to face verbal harassment in front of the patients.

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As per the latest media report by the Times of India, they also claimed that as a consequences of the assault by the seniors, one of them fell unconscious on one occasion. Both of the junior doctors have claimed that they were currently under psychiatric consultation. Meanwhile, the officials of MCH have also confirmed receiving the complaint.

However, the seniors, who have been accused of ragging, have denied the charges. On the other hand, the seniors have further alleged that some of the juniors were making the college atmosphere unfit fir studies.

Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors' Association of the Institute have extended their support to the junior doctors who have alleged been ragged by their seniors. Issuing a statement in this regard on 09.01.2024, the association mentioned, "We, the post graduate trainees of Medical College, Kolkata, would like to draw the attention of all the interns, postgraduate students and administration of Medical College, Kolkata towards a very unexpected incident that happened within last few months in our own college premises."

"Two of our colleagues Dr. *** and Dr. ***, 1st year JR,Unit 1, Department of Orthopaedics, have been abused and tortured by DR. *** and DR ***, 2nd Year JR of the same unit, for last 4 months," the association further mentioned.

Expressing their concern over the matter, the association added, "It became a matter of great concern when we received complaints from our interns and first year pgts about several incidents that is happening through last few months like, using very vulgar and abusive languages infront of patients while talking with JRs and Interns, treating them very badly, abusing both verbally and physically, beating them in a closed room, punching in the abdomen, spitting on the face and many more. Victim students are currently seriously ill now and they are taking psychiatric consultation for recovery from their huge mental and physical trauma."

Referring to the "heinous crime" that was going on for the last 2-3 months, the association has called it a "surprising" fact that the matter was going on for such a long time and despite knowing about the same none of the seniors or faculties bothered to intervene and they remained ignorant.

"We, the PGTs of Medical College, Kolkata strictly condemn this Heinous act of Ragging in our college campus and would like to raise our voice against this so that in future nobody can do this again or even think about doing things like this. This ragging culture will not be tolerated.We have stood against such institutional crimes like ragging in the past, we are still standing against this and will do in the future too. Let us be United and fight against workplace harassment. We demand strict actions to be taken against the accused and justice to be served," the association further mentioned in the release.

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