Himachal Pradesh: 12 MBBS students in Kangra suspended, fined Rs 50 ,000 for ragging

DHARAMSHALA: Twelve students from a medical college in Kangra have been suspended and fined Rs 50,000 each for ragging their juniors, officials said on Thursday. This is the second case of ragging in the state within two months after IIT-Mandi suspended 10 students and took disciplinary action against 62 others for allegedly ragging their juniors during an event at the institute on August 11.

According to Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) administration, the students have been suspended from the college for three months and the hostel for six months. Also, two first-year students have been warned for concealing information about the incident from the college authorities, RPGMC Principal Bhanu Awasthi said.

"Our college has anti-ragging committees and an anti-ragging squad that work regularly to check such incidents. One such committee, when checking the hostels on Sunday, found practical copies of senior students in the rooms of first-year students," Awasthi said.

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According to the principal, the matter was reported to the anti-ragging squad on Monday for verification and in the first report submitted on Tuesday, six senior students were found guilty. "It recommended a fine of Rs 50,000 each and suspension of six months from the hostel and three months from the classes for the six students," he said. The second report of the squad came on Wednesday and it found six more students guilty and recommended the same punishment, he added.

The squad also recommended that two first-year students, from whom the practical copies were found, be warned for not reporting the matter to the authorities, the principal said. In the ragging incident at IIT-Mandi, three office-bearers of the institute’s student body were among the 10 students who were suspended from academics and hostel till December 2023. Fines ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 and community service of 20 to 60 hours were imposed on the 62 others according to the extent of their involvement in the incident.