Bhavnagar: The Anti-Ragging Committee has taken strict action in a case of alleged inhuman ragging of junior students at Government Medical College, Bhavnagar. Six senior students from the Orthopaedic Department have been suspended, and the process of filing an official police complaint against them has been initiated. The suspended students have also been barred from entering the college campus and Sir T Hospital.

As per the Anti-Ragging Committee’s decision, one of the six students found guilty has been suspended for two years, three students for one year, and two students for six months. During the suspension period, they will not be allowed to participate in any academic or clinical activities. In addition, all the guilty students have been directed to vacate the hostel by 6 pm.

The incident came to light after 13 first-year students of the Orthopaedic Department submitted a written complaint against six senior doctors. According to the complainants, the seniors allegedly extorted Rs 2.5 lakh from them every month, forced them to arrange bottles of liquor, made them perform humiliating acts such as becoming “murga”, and made them stand on one leg throughout the night. The juniors further alleged that they were not given adequate time to eat or sleep and were not even allowed to bathe for the past 15 days.

A meeting of the Anti-Ragging Committee, chaired by Medical College Dean Dr Chinmay Shah on Thursday, continued from 5 pm to 2 am, lasting nearly nine hours. During the marathon session, statements from the complainants, the accused, and staff members were recorded, and documentary evidence was examined.

Health Minister Praful Pansheriya strongly condemned the incident and said the state government follows a “zero tolerance” policy towards inhuman practices such as ragging. He warned that indiscipline and anti-social activities would not be tolerated in educational institutions. DeshGujarat