No Ragging Observed- says BJ Medical College, Women's Commission to examine report
Pune: After the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) took suo motu cognisance of the alleged incidents of ragging involving two female resident doctors at BJ Medical College (BJMC) and Sassoon General Hospital, the institute has claimed in its report that no such incident took place.
It was alleged by the two female resident doctors that they were bullied and ragged by senior doctors. Following this, the college came under the Commission's radar.
The report from the medical colleges came after the MSCW Chairperson Rupali Chakankar directed the institute to submit a report regarding the purported incidents within five days.
Submitting the report on Friday, the medical college claimed that "no ragging was observed" in either of the incidents. A team of MSCW counselors will now thoroughly examine the report. They will also interact with the complainants in order to ascertain the facts, reports Mirror.
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As per the latest media report by Pune Mirror, two female first-year PG resident doctors complained of being ragged. One of them is from the radiology department of the medical college, whereas the other complainant is from the anesthesiology department.
The Daily adds that the two complaints were filed within a month. The first incident allegedly took place in March and the second incident occurred in the first week of April. Both of the complaints were formally reported to the authorities. Based on the complaints, the medical college initiated an inquiry and the grievance redressal committee consisting 13 members investigated the matter.
In its report submitted to MSCW, the college mentioned that both the parties involved, along with their parents, underwent counseling sessions before the grievance redressal committee. Following this, the findings were forwarded to the Commissioner of Medical Education and Research, Mumbai.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Maharashtra had sought a fresh report from the institute's internal anti-ragging committee regarding the two alleged instances of ragging.
Confirming this, DMER Dr. Mhaisekar had previously informed that even though the college authorities had sent a report, it was not enough. The DMER also asked for recorded statements from all the candidates.
Pune Mirror has reported that the Dean of the institute Dr. Vinayak Kale refused to divulge details in the matter. However, another doctor has claimed that the committee was determined that miscommunications and misinterpretations of tone led to what appeared to be ragging. When in reality no such incident took place. Instead, these incidents were minor disagreements that escalated into what seemed like ragging. Both the reports were submitted to the Commissioner of Medical Education and Research and the MSCW.
Commenting on the matter, the MSCW Chairperson Rupali Chakankar told Mirror, "The incidents are indeed alarming. It’s crucial to address such matters with utmost sensitivity. We were informed on Friday that no instances of ragging were observed. However, given the seriousness and complexity of the situation, our team of counselors will conduct a thorough examination of the documents provided to us. Besides, we will engage with the complainants directly in this regard."
Also Read: Ragging at BJ Medical College: Maha DMER seeks Fresh Report from internal panel
