Ragging: FIR against students, workers sacked as medical varsity gets MCI notice

The Saifai Medical University in Etawah has barred seven students from classes and lodged an FIR against them over mass ragging at the institute, which has now been slapped with a notice from the Medical Council of India.

Four university workers were sacked or suspended after the media played out video clips showing several first-year students parading on the campus with their heads tonsured.

The Medical Council of India has asked the varsity why it should not be fined and declared ineligible for new admissions for a minimum period of one year.

The university on Friday said an FIR has been lodged against seven students and a fine of ₹25,000 imposed on them over the recent case of ragging.

They have also been barred from classes and the hostel for the next three months.

Two hostel wardens who failed to bring the incident to the notice of the university administration have been suspended and the services of two guards terminated, Medical faculty head Prof P K Jain told reporters.

A collective fine of ₹5,000 has also been imposed on the 2018 batch of students, he added.

Jain said the inquiry committee set up by the hospital administration and the police was told in writing by the 160-member new batch that there had been no incident of ragging.

This report was given to vice chancellor on Thursday, he said.

But since the matter also came before the media, he and Vice Chancellor Raj Kumar individually contacted students in the batch to find out the exact situation, Jain claimed.

The names of the seven senior students then emerged.

A video clip had shown students in white coats walking in a single file, bowing their tonsured heads and also making 'salaam' gestures. Another clip showed them walking in rows on the campus.

On Wednesday, even while promising “strict action” over the ragging, the vice chancellor had initially appeared to condone “mild” cases of this kind.

He said ragging at one time used to be a way of inculcating “sanskar” (tradition or manners) of the world of medicine among students.