‘BBMCH anti-ragging squad only on pen and paper’

BALANGIR:  Days after a medical student allegedly died by suicide in Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital (BBMCH) here, members of the Balangir Action Committee (BAC) along with other social organisations visited the college to flag concern over the issue on Monday. 

Led by Gopalji Panigrahi, the team met the dean besides other staff and students.  Addressing mediapersons, he claimed that there is no anti-ragging squad in BBMCH. “Anti-ragging squad here is only on pen and paper and there is no presence of it in the college. The MCH is Balangir’s pride but in the last two years, two cases of student deaths have scarred its image,” he said.

President of Sachetan Mahila Mancha, Sagarika Guru, who also visited the college alleged that there is no sign of a functional anti-ragging squad and accused the dean of making irresponsible statements. “College authorities have failed to show any report of an anti-ragging squad and the dean is not serious about the issue. This is unacceptable,” she said. 

The student, a first-year MBBS student, died after allegedly falling off the hostel roof on April 22. While a WhatsApp conversation between the student and his friend have surfaced where he had mentioned ragging, family members too confirmed that he had complained about harassment by seniors a few days before taking the extreme step. 

On Sunday, father of the deceased student named the institution’s anti-ragging cell as an accused in his police complaint. He accused the cell of failure in preventing the ragging incidents that allegedly forced his son to end his life. Balangir SDPO Tofan Bag said police is investigating the case from all angles and case has been registered.