Will AIIMS punish raggers?
After JNU, it's the turn of another
premier institute to be in the news for an alleged incident of ragging.
According to sources at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, three students
were found ragging their juniors on Friday evening. A formal inquiry has been
constituted, with the report expected on Tuesday.
The incident allegedly occurred earlier in the week, when two students were
found in the hostel room of a senior by the hostel warden. According to highly
placed sources in AIIMS, three senior students, including an intern, were with
the freshers. The matter was reported to the hostel superintendent, who in turn
informed the institute authorities. Said dean of students, Dr Rani Kumar,
"On August 20, there was a freshers' party in the institute. Our
anti-ragging squad, which conducts surprise raids till August 31, found some
freshers in the room of a senior. The seniors claimed they were interacting
about study material. However, the matter has been taken up and an inquiry
constituted to verify the details of the incident."
Sources say a formal complaint was filed only on Saturday morning by hostel
authorities. No student has formally complained. Though no one in the institute
was willing to provide details, sources admitted that the incident fell within
the parameters of ragging as defined by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the dean will also be addressing all freshers on Monday to ascertain
about other incidents that may have taken place. A separate round of
questioning of seniors on the matter will also take place. Sources claim the
move comes after the parent of one of the students called up the institute
authorities regarding the incident.
The incident, which comes close on the heels of JNU suspending its students for
ragging some days ago, is a wake-up call for the institute which was one of the
first to constitute an anti-ragging squad, say sources.
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