Third year medical student accuses seniors of ragging

22 Nov 2008, 0309 hrs IST, TNN

LUCKNOW: Strict provisions for punishment which includes expulsion and a criminal case has not been able to deter senior MBBS students of the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) from ragging juniors. So far there were only minor incidents but on Friday a junior was beaten by his two seniors, who also tore apart his clothes and snatched his motorcycle.

According to the complaint lodged by Somveer Singh (a 2006 batch student) with the provost of the SP hostel, he was beaten up by his two seniors, Harimohan Chaudhary and Anshuman Bhartiya, 2005 batch, at the University grounds. Singh has charged the seniors with ragging and has alleged that they also snatched his motorcycle. The bike now has been tied with a chain to the gates of SP hostel where these seniors live. Tying the bike to hostel gate is being seen as an attempt by the seniors to send the message across to all the juniors that they may also face a similar fate if they dared to disobey seniors.

The complainant has also alleged that the two seniors also threatened him on phone, warning against any attempt to lodge a complaint with the CSMMU administration. Ragging is a cognizable offence and the University authorities have already announced to take strict action against seniors found ragging their juniors. The hostel provost has issued show-cause notices to the two seniors and has asked them to release the bike immediately. He is also verifying the fact that whether the incident was of ragging or the fallout of an ego clash between the senior and the juniors.

According to some students who claimed to be eye-witness to the incident, the two seniors entered into a tiff with Singh over a dispute related to participation in a sporting event in the Medifest scheduled to take place next month. They said that normally the first year students are subjected to ragging, whereas in this case the complainant is of third year. For the first year students, the University has already made security arrangements to save them from raggers. Authorities also said that they will take strict action against the two senior students, if found guilty.