RIMS: Zero tolerance

Ranchi, Oct. 20: An anti-ragging squad has been constituted at the premier Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) to curb incidents of ragging amid unconfirmed reports of mental and physical torture.

RIMS acting director A.K. Mahto said that the squad comprised three teachers each of clinical and non-clinical departments, besides representatives of the Junior Doctors’ Association.

“Though we have not received any complaint of ragging, we have set up an anti-ragging squad. Its members will sit together on October 29 to chalk out a strategy to put a complete halt on ragging, if any, on the campus,” Mahto said.

Vijay Pratap Singh Tomar, the association’s secretary and also a member of the squad, supported Mahto, saying there was no question of ragging as students were aware of its consequences. “Everyone knows that s/he will have to lose at least one semester if found ragging a fresher. No one enjoys harassing juniors at the cost of his or her career,” he said.

Tomar, however, did not deny the practise of freshers introducing themselves on the campus.

“Sometimes, freshers are asked to introduce themselves to seniors. This practice is sometime seen as ragging and spoken about in an exaggerated way outside the campus by some freshers,” he said.

Sources, however, said the squad was constituted after cases of harassment of newcomers were reported from the campus.

“It was reported that new girls were being asked by seniors to wash their dirty laundry at odd hours while boys were being asked to impersonate birds. Apart from this, some seniors asked freshers to bend at 90 degrees when in front of them,” a RIMS employee alleged on condition of anonymity.

No fresher was available for comment as the Puja vacations are on. But sources close to them supported the claims of the RIMS employee.

“There is an old tradition of ragging on the campus. It is difficult to find out about every case as freshers prefer to remain tight-lipped as they fear trouble in the hostel otherwise. Only extreme cases of ragging come out or only those students open their mouths whose parents are influential,” said a friend of a fresher.