Ahmedabad: While the state govt has pledged exemplary action in the GMERS Medical College, Dharpur ragging death case, past instances show that the authorities have faced immense pressure to dilute the punishment to perpetrators.
Academicians highlighted a 2022 ragging case at BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, where penalties for two out of three senior students who harassed seven postgraduate orthopaedic students were reduced. In the incident on Dec 27, 2022, one student sustained a serious ear injury after being forced to exercise, slapped, punched, and verbally abused in a doctor's room in their ward.
Initially, the accused students—Dhaval Makadia and Jayesh Thummar—were suspended for three semesters, while Harsh Sureja faced a two-semester suspension. However, in Jan this year, Gujarat University reduced the suspensions for Makadia and Thummar from three semesters to two, following their appeal. One of the accused, who already served a one-year suspension, saw no further reduction in punishment.
Faculty members in medical institutions often find themselves divided over the severity of punishments. While some advocate for leniency, others insist that authorities resist pressures to reduce disciplinary actions.
At Narendra Modi Medical College in Khokhra, four senior students from the surgery department faced disciplinary measures for ragging first-year students. The penalties ranged from a two-year suspension for one student, a one-year suspension for another, and 28-day suspensions for two others. Despite pressure to reduce these penalties, strong opposition from some faculty members ensured the original punishments were upheld.
The fatal incident at GMERS Medical College, Dharpur, has reignited discussions within the medical fraternity whether the punitive measures would stay for long.
On the night of Nov 16, Anil Methaniya, a first-year MBBS student from Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district, died after allegedly being forced to stand for three hours during ragging by second-year students in the hostel.
"The key issue now is how the authorities handle the punishment for the 15 students accused in this tragic case," said a medical college professor who requested anonymity. "It remains to be seen whether the administration will yield to pressures for leniency or stand firm," he said,
The college administration has since submitted an action-taken report to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The report confirmed the filing of a police complaint against 15 students implicated in Methaniya's ragging and the suspension of these individuals from all academic activities. The accused include Avdhesh Patel, Hiren Prajapati, Tushar Gohalekar, Prakash Desai, Jaymin Chaudhary, Pravin Chaudhary, Vivek Rabari, Rutvik Limbadia, Mehul Dhedhatar, Surjal Baldania, Haresh Chavda, Vaibhav Raval, Parag Kalsaria, Utpal Vasava, and Vishal Chaudhary.