Patan: Gujarat Police Monday said it has registered an FIR against 15 students of a medical college who were allegedly involved in the ragging of a young MBBS student who died after his seniors made him stand for several hours in the state's Patan district two days ago.
Anil Natwarbhai Methaniya, 18, a first-year MBBS student from Jesda village in Surendranagar district, fell on the ground after he was forced to stand for three hours during ragging by his seniors on Saturday night (Nov. 16, 2024) at his hostel at GMERS Medical College and Hospital in Patan district's Dharpur area.
The accused, all second-year MBBS students, allegedly made some juniors, including the victim, stand in a hostel room for more than three hours on Saturday night and subjected them to "mental and physical torture," as per the First Information Report (FIR).
They have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences, the FIR said. The accused students have been suspended from their hostel and academic activities until further orders, said officials from the GMERS Medical College and Hospital at Dharpur in Patan.
The victim fell unconscious and died allegedly after being made to stand for three hours during ragging by his seniors at a hostel of the college on Saturday night, the college dean, Dr Hardik Shah, said on Sunday.
The college's anti-ragging committee chaired by Dr Shah took the statements of 26 students -- 11 of the first-year and 15 second-year students. The committee found that 11 first-year students were subjected to ragging by a group of 15 second-year students, a college official said on Monday.
As per the FIR lodged at Balisana police station shortly after midnight on Monday, the 15 accused called 11 first-year students, including Methaniya and his classmates, to a hostel room on Saturday night for "introduction".
They made the juniors stand for nearly three-and-a-half hours while forcing them to sing and dance, utter abusive words and not leave the room. Methaniya's health deteriorated as the students were subjected to mental and physical torture. The victim fainted and fell down at around midnight. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the FIR stated.
Based on a complaint by the college's additional dean Dr Anil Bhathija, the FIR was lodged against 15 students under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, and using obscene words.
Earlier, a first-year medical student at the college said seven to eight senior students forced a group of juniors to stand for around three hours and introduce themselves one by one. "They forced us to keep standing and asked us not to get agitated. At last, a student, who was also standing with us, fell unconscious. We rushed him to a hospital where he died," he said on condition of anonymity.
Dharmendrabhai Methaniya, the victim's cousin, said Anil had joined Dharpur Medical College a month ago as a first-year MBBS student. He said the family was hopeful of getting justice from the college and government. "I received a call from my uncle that my cousin was hospitalised after falling unconscious. When I arrived here, I learnt that he had died," Dharmendra Methaniya said.
"Anil's body was taken for postmortem, so the truth will be known after the report comes. We heard from other students of the college that the senior students made him stand for several hours after which he fainted and died. We seek justice from the government and the college," he said. (With PTI inputs)
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