A fresh complaint of alleged ragging at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Medical College in Churu, involving claims of sexual humiliation and threats, has prompted the National Medical Commission (NMC) to seek an urgent action-taken report from the institution.
The complaint was reported on Monday, after which the NMC contacted the college’s principal and dean and underlined the serious nature of the allegations. The commission asked the administrators to treat the complaint with urgency and provide details of the steps taken in response.
The Churu medical college ragging complaint is the 13th such incident reported from medical colleges across Rajasthan since early October, according to the report. However, only two of the institutions involved have so far initiated disciplinary action against students found responsible, the report said.
At Barmer Government Medical College, 79 students faced disciplinary measures that included permanent or temporary expulsion from hostels and exclusion from academic activities for varying periods. At Dr SN Medical College in Jodhpur, administrators suspended 19 students, including a junior resident, after an internal anti-ragging panel found them guilty of objectionable behaviour towards junior students.
Earlier complaints described corporal punishment, forced haircuts and threats. One complainant said students were warned that they would be boycotted from college events if they spoke about the alleged ragging. The latest complaint from Churu has added allegations of sexual humiliation and threats, although the supplied report does not provide details of the alleged incidents or the identities of those involved.
Complainants in almost all the cases reported so far have sought enforcement of the University Grants Commission Regulations on Curbing Ragging and the NMC’s anti-ragging guidelines. They have also requested urgent and fair investigations, counselling support and protection against possible retaliation.
The NMC has asked the institutions concerned to submit comprehensive details of their investigations and the action taken. It has also sought information on measures to protect complainants from retaliatory intimidation and clarification on whether the anti-ragging committees at individual medical colleges are operational.
The developments have also drawn a response from United Doctors Front, a nationwide medical practitioners’ organisation. Its secretary, Lakshya Mittal, said the organisation had written to the Rajasthan chief minister and the director general of police seeking immediate intervention.
The next step is for Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Medical College to submit its action-taken report and investigation details to the NMC. The commission’s requests to the Rajasthan institutions will determine how the allegations are formally examined and what measures are recorded against those found responsible.
