[IE] ‘He wasn’t ragged’, but 19 seniors face suspension

Link to report

GMCH committee slaps fine of Rs 2,000 each on 2006 batch of MBBS students, says seniors indulged in indiscipline

Express News Service

Chandigarh, August 16: The Disciplinary Committee of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, has suggested that 19 students be expelled from the hostel because they indulged in ‘indiscipline’ during the introductory sessions with the freshers both in the college and hostel premises. The committee has also suggested a fine of Rs 2,000 each to be slapped on the entire batch of 2006 MBBS students.

However, the committee observed that there had been ‘no ragging’ of first year MBBS student Manjot Singh. The fact-finding committee made this observation without contacting the parents of Manjot Singh, who allegedly committed suicide due to ragging by seniors in the hostel.

Admitting that senior students had indulged in ‘indiscipline’ in the college and hostels, the committee recommended that 19 senior students staying in GMCH hostel be expelled from the hostels within 48 hours of issue of the orders. The fines have to be paid within two weeks of issue of order.

The seniors have been found guilty of instructing first year students to go to city gardens with the intention of ragging, the committee observed. Seniors have also ‘colluded with each other in not identifying the individual students who incited the others into this misadventure’, it said.

Parents of Manjot Singh, however, doubt the report’s seriousness. “If they are expelling students from the hostel for ragging, how can they say that there was no ragging with my son?” asked father Milap Singh. “They have also not given the names of the students, so we don’t know who has been expelled,” he added.

Singh, who had met GMCH Director Principal H M Swami on August 14, has been assured that he would get a copy of the report. “I am waiting for the report and will take action after that,” Singh said. Dr Swami could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

The fact-finding committee had been constituted after media reported Manjot’s suicide. It was also reported how freshers were being ragged.