A group of 150 first-year MBBS students studying at Saifai Medical College in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh were forced to tonsure their heads and salute their seniors in the name of ragging.
Etawah: Junior students of UP University of Medical Sciences,Saifai seen with shaved heads on campus, allegedly as part of ragging. Vice Chancellor says “If there has been any indiscipline,strict action will be taken. Students can approach at least their warden. I’ll keep an eye” pic.twitter.com/DpKrCfRARe
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 20, 2019
The incident came to the notice of the university authorities after purported videos in which the students “bow in reverence” to the seniors went viral on social media. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr Raj Kumar, has claimed the institution maintained special squads that kept a “check over ragging” and has suspended students for similar incidents in the past.
“We keep a strict vigil on such activities and we have a separate dean social welfare for students. Further, we have an anti-ragging committee to deal with complaints,” he said, adding, “We also have a special squad which visits every place in University to keep a check over ragging. The students can complain to the anti-ragging committee or even to their wardens.”
The incident took place in the home grounds of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav, on August 20. In one of the videos, the freshers were seen walking in a line with their heads shaved.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-SSBkvyoPU]
The second video shows the students jogging and offering mock salutes to a group of seniors.
In a third video, a security guard is seen standing near the students. However, he takes no apparent action to stop the alleged ragging.
The Vice-Chancellor has promised that action will be taken in this matter.
Last year too, a similar case had come to the fore in which around 100 first-year students of Motilal Nehru Medical College in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh were forced to tonsure their heads and were thrashed if someone dared to disobey the orders.
On 22 May 26-year-old Payal Tadvi, a second-year MD in gynaecology at BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, hanged herself in the college hostel room alleging harassment by seniors.
