Madras medical college 6 MBBS students suspended for ragging

Chennai: A ragging complaint has been reported at Madras Medical College, where a junior medical student accused some senior students of mentally and physically harassing him inside the men's hostel.

According to the complaint, the student was called to a hostel room along with 19 other juniors and was allegedly subjected to harassment. Following a preliminary inquiry, the college administration suspended six senior students and expelled them from the men’s hostel.

The student was reportedly so disturbed by the incident that he left the college campus without informing anyone. A missing complaint was later filed at a local police station. Police subsequently traced him to his home in Vellore.

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While the student claimed he was harassed both mentally and physically, the dean of MMC stated that the incident was not ragging but a quarrel between senior and junior students. The inquiry report also said that no physical assault took place.

Apart from the suspension of the students, the college formed a high-level inquiry committee after the student’s father filed a complaint with the National Medical Commission (NMC).

According to a news report by The New Indian Express, the incident occurred on December 14, when a group of senior students called around 20 juniors from the 2022, 2023 and 2024 batches for a meeting related to kabaddi. The meeting was held in a hostel room from 9 pm to 3 am. One of the seniors was the sports committee secretary, but the meeting was held without permission from the sports committee or the hostel warden.

The student alleged that an argument broke out between students of the 2021 and 2022 batches. He further claimed that he was called to the room at around 1.30 am and forced to kneel. According to the complaint, he was reportedly forced to kneel for an entire day and was subjected to degrading treatment.

Following the incident, the student left the campus. Police said the hostel warden filed a missing complaint with the Chintadripet police, who later found the student at his native place in Vellore.

The student later told his father that he did not want to continue his medical studies. This prompted his father to approach the college authorities with a formal complaint.

Based on the complaint, the college conducted a preliminary inquiry on December 15 by a panel comprising Dean Dr K Shantaraman, Vice-Principal Dr J Sreevidya, and Men’s Hostel Warden Dr Senthilkumar.

The inquiry found prima facie evidence that six final-year students had called for the meeting and that the junior student was made to kneel for a short period. However, it stated that there was no evidence of physical assault.

Following this, the administration suspended the six senior students and expelled them from the hostel until further orders.

The student’s father has also filed a complaint with the Greater Chennai Police Commissionerate, seeking criminal action against the seniors. A separate inquiry committee has been set up to question all students involved and submit a detailed report within seven days.

Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Shantaraman said, "This was not an incident of ragging. Final year students had a kabaddi match. There was some issue of the line being touched during the match, and this led to a fight on a Whatsapp group on returning to the hostel after the match."

A senior faculty member told DT Next, "We have a zero-tolerance approach towards ragging. Strict action will be taken based on the findings of the committee."

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