"Forced to strip-naked, seniors gave tasks to perform"- Rajasthan's medical college MBBS students file ragging Complaint with NMC, UGC
College denies incident
New Delhi: Recently allegations of ragging at Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia (RVRS) Medical College, Bhilwara came to light as the first-year MBBS students at the institute were accused of being forced to "strip naked" and "moan" by their seniors, Careers 360 has reported.
Highlighting these instances of ragging by the senior MBBS students, the freshers at the institute have filed complaints before the college administration, University Grants Commission (UGC), and National Medical Commission (NMC).
Initially, they complained to UGC on October 27 and then again on November 1, when they complained to the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body i.e. NMC simultaneously.
In response to the email sent on October 27, UGC asked the complainant student to reveal his/her identity to initiate further action. However, the student refused this demand, hearing action from the college and seniors.
Meanwhile, responding to a Right to Information (RTI) application, demanding action from college administrators against the accused students, the college recently denied any occurrence of any ragging incident in the campus recently.
As per the latest media report by Careers 360, narrating the instances of ragging, a first-year medico of RVRS Medical College told the Daily, "The ragging incident occurred on October 24. The first-year MBBS students who have been attending college’s foundation course were ragged before me."
"They asked me to touch the nipples of a fellow batchmate and one of my batchmates was asked to moan and others were stripped naked," the student added.
The medical college, which is affiliated with Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), started MBBS admissions from 2018-2019. Complying with NMC's Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum, the college commenced its compulsory two-week foundation course for MBBS students on October 14 which concluded on October 26. Following this, the Diwali vacation was announced. Reportedly, the ragging incident commenced during the foundation course.
Complaining about the ragging incident, a first-year MBBS student emailed to UGC and NMC on October 27. Careers 360 has reported that the email stated, "I am a student in RVRS Bhilwara and me and my batchmates are being severely ragged by seniors – both online and offline. Online ragging includes giving intros, late night calls from seniors, asking us to rate female students in our class. Offline ragging is very, very severe – they take us to an empty house where many seniors, drunk, scream at us loudly in very abusive language. After that they strip us forcefully and then give us tasks to perform. They take away our phones so that we don’t record or gather evidence."
"There have been past cases of recorded ragging in this college but nothing has changed here and the ragging culture is still very strong. Some college faculties here also support ragging which is why I want to keep my identity anonymous. I am very scared for my safety," it added.
UGC Asks Complainant student to Reveal Identity:
Responding to the email, UGC on October 28 asked the complainant student to share the details of the victim along with the accused/senior students and their names and courses.
"In the past few days, we have noted a significant increase in anonymous complaints, all originating from the same individual but related to various institutions across different states. This pattern raises concerns that someone may be exploiting the facility for commercial gain, filing complaints on behalf of various students rather than advising students how to reach the 24x7 anti ragging helpline directly. To mitigate such activities and maintain the integrity of our complaint process, we kindly request your cooperation. Specifically, we ask you to provide your college identity card to confirm your affiliation with the institution against which you are filing a ragging complaint. Please rest assured that your identity will remain confidential and will only be used for record-keeping purposes," UGC said.
Despite the assurance of UGC that the anti-ragging helpline "does not share any details about the victim and complainant with anyone", the complainant refused to share their own details being afraid of their safety. "I fear for my safety and want to keep my identity anonymous," the student said. However, the complainant has shared the details of the accused.
RTI Application:
Demanding action from the college administrators against the accused students, members of anti-ragging NGO Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) filed an RTI application on October 28. In response to the same, the college on October 29 denied any occurrence of any ragging incident in its campus recently.
A supervisor of RTI and victim support division of SAVE, filed the RTI on October 28 seeking CCTv recordings after the MBBS students contacted SAVE. Allegedly, the college refused sharing the same without citing any reason.
Responding to the RTI, the college administration stated that an anti-ragging committee was constituted to investigate the ragging incidents in and around the government medical college Bhilwara campus.
"All the students of this college from second year to final year were issued orders to avail vacation from October 14 to October 27 due to which these students could not enter the college campus and stay in the hostel. No first-year MBBS students have reported ragging students to college administration either in writing or oral," stated the RTI response.
The 13-member anti-ragging committee of RVRS Medical College includes the Principal Dr Varsha Ashok Kumar Singh as its chairperson. A member of the committee, Dr. Daulat Meena denied receiving any such complaints from the students adding, "We have not received any complaints from the students. We will take action if we receive any complaint."
On the other hand, the complainant students have claimed that they have already sent a written complaint to the college authorities, repeatedly reminding them to take action.
"I got the government medical college in my own state after clearing National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG). At the start of my college life, I felt very bad due to ragging. The college should check their CCTV camera recordings and take action against senior students so that ragging must stop here," said a complainant.
Meanwhile, Jha of SAVE has warned the college authorities to file an FIR for not initiating action against the accused. He told the Daily, "A complaint was submitted to RVRS Medical College on 28 October 2024. Rather than forming an inquiry committee to investigate the matter, the college administration immediately dismissed the allegations. This response suggests that the administration is shielding the accused students. The principal, too, holds responsibility for allowing this ragging incident to occur. Our organization intends to escalate this matter to the NMC and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, seeking an FIR to be lodged against the Principal."
