Police said they will start recording the statements of all MBBS freshers (Representational)
A group of senior MBBS students at Madhya Pradesh's biggest state government medical college have been charged with ragging, including forcing juniors to perform vulgar and abusive acts. The senior students' identities have not been revealed.
After the incident involving senior students of MGM Medical College in Indore, the shocked juniors dialled the University Grants Commission, or UGC, anti-ragging helpline and narrated their horrific ordeal. The juniors told the police they were made to pretend to have sex with pillows and batchmates at the flats of the senior MBBS students.
With no tolerance for ragging, which can scar students for life, the UGC contacted the college and sought action, after which the college's anti-ragging committee decided to file a police case or FIR (first information report) against all the accused.
The Indore Police said they will start recording the statements of all MBBS freshers.
In the complaint filed by a junior student with the UGC's anti-ragging helpline, it was also alleged the seniors made fresher male students perform abusive and vulgar acts, such as making them choose the name of a female batchmate and heaping abusive remarks on her.
The complaint to the UGC alleged some professors did nothing to discourage ragging and in fact supported it.
The junior students have alleged their mobile phones were snatched, they were forced to do sit-ups, and slap each other so hard that the sound is "loud and clear".
The students said they are scared to disclose their identities as they seniors could take revenge.
The detailed complaint to the UGC has evidence in the form of audio and video recordings, including WhatsApp chat, linked to ragging and torture of junior students, officials said.
"We're recording statements of all the students concerned at the medical college, on the basis of which the accused seniors will be identified," local police station in-charge Tehzeeb Qazi said.