CHANDIGARH: Fourteen MBBS students of Tanda Medical College in Himachal Pradesh, who were allegedly involved in activities related to ragging, have been suspended from the hostel for six months and from the college for three months, besides being fined Rs 50,000 each.
Sources said that out of the 14 students, 12 are second-year MBBS students and two are first-year students. While the second-year students have been suspended and fined for ragging, action was taken against the first-year students for hiding the information from college authorities.
According to sources, the senior students reportedly gave their notebooks for completion to junior students and as per the opinion of the ragging committee, this amounted to an act of ragging.
The ragging committee, in its inquiry report, recommended the punishment for the students, after which the college imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each student and suspended them from the hostel for six months and from college for three months.
It was the first time that the Tanda Medical College has extended such a harsh punishment to students involved in ragging. Confirming that the students have been suspended and a fine has been imposed on each, a senior faculty member of the Tanda Medical College said that during a routine checking, the college authorities found notebooks of seniors in possession of the first-year students. They found that these were given to the juniors to complete seniors’ homework.
The case was handed over to the ragging committee of the college for inquiry and the students were found guilty. The college has not divulged the names of these students.
Confirming the incident, the principal of Tanda Medical College, Dr Bhanu Awasthi, said, “During routine checking, notebooks of seniors were found with first-year students. They were given for completing the homework. The anti-ragging committee of the college inquired about the matter and recommended punishment for 12 second-year students and two first-year students.”
Earlier, in 2009, a ragging case was reported from Tanda Medical College when a trainee doctor allegedly committed suicide. Since then, there had been a complete ban on ragging.
In May this year, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, took disciplinary action against 72 BTech students. Of these, 10 were suspended for six months for ragging juniors.