Delhi: AIIMS Suspends 12 Students For Ragging Juniors

AIIMS has suspended 12 medical students after a complaint was lodged by a few freshers in two different cases have complained against their seniors in the fifth semester, as has been reported by India Today. One of the first year students got severely injured while trying to protect himself and is getting treatment.

Ragging took place at the boy’s’ hostel where the freshers were made to conduct embarrassing acts.The suspended students would be barred from attending classes for three months.

This is the first time a premier medical institute of the country has taken such a step.

Several freshers were allegedly ragged in the hostel. “One of the freshers complained to the anti-ragging committee which investigated the matter and found merit in his complaint. The administration, therefore, decided to act against the students involved,” a senior official reportedly told The Times Of India.

The second case pertains to seven seniors pursuing BSc in Optometry were found to have indulged in misconduct with a junior at AIIMS recently. The complainant, in this instance, is a tribal student from Dholpur, Rajasthan.

Security has been tightened in and around the hostels, and the anti-ragging squad has warned the students of grave consequences on the slightest suspicion of misconduct.

Ragging has been a constant nuisance for Indian school and college campuses and has been responsible for many suicides, depressions or in the least quitting renowned institutes.

The issue received international attention in 2009 when 19-year-old Aman Satya Kachroo died after allegedly being bullied by four seniors at a medical college in Himachal. His father took the matter to the Supreme Court and managed to get an order setting up parameters on ways to prevent ragging.

In spite of several steps taken by the school and college authorities, ragging is still prevalent in the campuses. There have been gruesome cases of a student suffering from kidney damage or being forced to drink toilet cleaner on account of ragging.

The Logical Indian community appreciates the action taken on the issue. We hope that the authorities ensure an unbiased investigation and prevent similar incidents from occurring again so that students would not be dissuaded from joining such prestigious institutes.