The family of the 18-year-old MBBS student, who died allegedly due to ragging at a medical college in Gujarat, has raised serious questions about the character of the seniors involved. Anil Methaniya, a first-year student of GMERS Medical College and Hospital at Dharpur Patan, collapsed after hours of harassment on Saturday night during a so-called “introduction” event-a term used to describe ragging activities in residential educational institutes.
After being made to stand for long hours, Anil fainted and was taken to the hospital, where he told the police that he had been forced to stand continuously for three hours. He died within hours. Fifteen seniors have been arrested in connection with the incident and booked under culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other related offenses.
Anil’s cousin, Gaurav Methaniya, recounted the distressing phone call received that night. “We were informed that my brother had been hospitalized and were urged to rush to the hospital immediately,” Gaurav explained. The family, residing over 150 kilometers away in Surendranagar district, arrived at the hospital to learn of Anil’s death and that his body had been sent for postmortem.
During a meeting with the college dean and police officials, it was revealed that indeed there had been ragging. Gaurav said in utter disgust, “Those who do such acts have a criminal mindset. Medicine is a service-oriented field; how can they be entrusted to look after others? What kind of doctors will they turn out to be? Their education should be stopped, and they must be sent to life imprisonment.”
Gaurav said Anil was a brilliant student, being the first in their family to get admission in an MBBS course. “He was the brightest student in many villages. We dreamed of him becoming a big doctor someday,” he said.
The anti-ragging committee of the college probed into the incident by recording the statements of 26 students, identifying 15 seniors as the harassers of 11 freshmen students. The FIR stated that the freshers were made to stand for several hours and ordered to sing, dance and use abusive words.
Inspired by the increasing menace of ragging, the University Grants Commission has issued a strict ban on all types of ragging in all educational institutes and asked the affiliated colleges to take stern action against the students who are found guilty.
