Surat medical college ragging case: Two senior doctors arrested after PG student’s death

Surat police have arrested two senior resident doctors for allegedly ragging and harassing 10 first-year postgraduate medical students at Government Medical College, more than two months after student Harsh Pandya died by suicide on Aug 9.

The accused, Dikshita Ghewaria and Hina Bhut, were arrested on Sunday after allegedly evading police following Pandya's death, Assistant Commissioner of Police Z R Desai said. Pandya was found hanging in his hostel room on the morning of Aug 9.

Police had registered a first information report (FIR) against four second-year postgraduate students of the college, which is affiliated with New Civil Hospital.

The case concerns allegations that the senior residents subjected Pandya and nine other first-year students to ragging.

“Two of the four resident doctors were arrested on Sunday. According to the anti-ragging committee, the accused were involved in ragging Pandya, after which he died by suicide,” Desai said.

The accused had allegedly stayed at the homes of relatives and friends while filing petitions to quash the case, Desai said. The other two accused, Nirali Vasave and Anuj Maheshwari, are yet to be arrested.

The accused have been booked under Sections 127(2), concerning wrongful confinement, 352, concerning intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace, and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked, an official at Khatodara police station said.

According to the complaint filed by the college, second-year resident doctors are not permitted to assign tasks to first-year residents. However, the accused allegedly harassed 10 first-year residents in the microbiology department.

Desai said the alleged ragging began after Pandya enrolled at the college in March or April and continued for three to four months.

The complaint alleged that the senior doctors humiliated the first-year residents, verbally abused them and filed complaints with faculty members claiming that they were not performing their duties.

On Aug 5, the accused allegedly sent WhatsApp messages summoning the first-year students to the microbiology department's serology laboratory.

The students were reportedly held there for two hours and subjected to mental harassment, humiliation and crude remarks, according to the complaint.

A high-level committee formed to investigate the allegations issued show-cause notices to microbiology department head Dr Sumaiya Mulla and faculty members Dr Sangeeta Rajde, Dr Yogita Mistry and Dr Latika Purohit.

The anti-ragging committee recorded statements from senior resident doctors, faculty members, technicians and cleaning staff working in the microbiology department.

The inquiry followed complaints from nine first-year resident doctors and Pandya's father. The committee found no evidence of physical abuse or that the student's death resulted from such abuse.