Karimnagar: Four senior students of the Ramagundam Medical College in Peddapalli district were suspended on Wednesday for allegedly ragging their juniors by shaving off their moustaches and tonsuring them, in an incident that took place on Sunday night in the hostel.
The incident was reported to the college management by the parents of one of the victims, who appeared in a video call with his parents with his shaved head and having no moustache. Upon enquiry, he confided in his parents about the incident, following which a complaint was lodged.
College principal Himabindu Singh told Deccan Chronicle that the college management and the anti-ragging committee conducted an inquiry expeditiously upon receiving the complaint and suspended four students, all hostel residents.
“Strict instructions were given to the students that severe action will be taken against those who indulge in such incidents. We advised them not to spoil their bright futures,” she said.
College officials said they conducted orientation programmes as an anti-ragging measure and also deployed security personnel at the hostel to avert serious mishaps.
Meanwhile, Godavarikhani One Town circle inspector Pramode said that upon learning about the incident, they visited the college, counselled the senior students and warned them of the stringent consequences such incidents could have on their lives.
“Since neither the college management nor the parents of the junior student have not lodged a complaint, a case was not registered against the senior students,” he said.
Sources said that the incident took place during an informal introductory meeting in the hostel, when a group of around 10 senior students invited the juniors to their hostel room.
They said that the seniors initially shaved the head of one of the juniors, but the victim resisted when they tried to shave his moustache. However, they managed to shave off half of the moustache, following which the victim later shaved it completely to avoid comment.
2023 saw many ragging incidents
September: Seven third-year MBBS students of Kakatiya Medical College were suspended from classes for three months and from the hostel for one year for ragging a second-year student on the college premises.
October: A student of Gandhi Medical College was suspended for ragging juniors, after he was found to have called five junior students to his room at odd hours and asked them to do physical exercises. One of the juniors dropped a complaint in the complaints box, following which action was taken.
October: 10 MBBS students of Gandhi Medical College were suspended for their role in ragging activities by the director of medical education.
December: Eighty-one PG women students of Kakatiya University were suspended for a week for ragging junior students on the pretext of an introductory session. The college suspended all PG students in a first and declared early winter holidays, evicting them from the hostel for the duration.
