Seven 3rd year MBBS students booked for beating up junior at KMC

HANAMKONDA: A ragging incident that took place at the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) on Thursday (September 14) has come to light. According to police, seven third-year MBBS students subjected their juniors to ragging on the campus. When one of the juniors tried to resist, the enraged senior students beat him up. The victim approached the Mattewada police, following which a case was registered against the alleged perpetrators. Warangal Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bonala Kishan said the police have registered cases under Sections 294B (related to obscene acts and songs), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 340 (wrongful restrain or confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and the Telangana Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997, after an on-campus inquiry. Currently, the police probe with the help of the college management is underway, the ACP added. Addressing the media on Sunday, KMC principal Dr Divvela Mohan Das insisted that there was no ragging incident in the college. Dr Das explained that an altercation between senior and junior students led to physical clashes rather than a traditional ragging scenario. Nevertheless, the college’s anti-ragging committee took cognisance of the situation and summoned the student groups involved to ascertain the facts, he added. He stated that the anti-ragging committee is scheduled to convene on September 19 (Tuesday), during which the issue will be discussed. Any disciplinary action, if required, will be taken during the meeting, he asserted. Additionally, the principal said the parents of the seven students in question were also asked to come to the college for discussions concerning their children’s behaviour, as part of the ongoing efforts to address the situation. Earlier this year, Dr Dharawath Preethi, a a first-year PG medical student at KMC, killed herself after allegedly being subjected to ragging by her seniors. On Tuesday last, the high court quashed the prime accused Dr Saif’s suspension and instructed the KMC to conduct a fresh hearing.