How ragging at Gujarat medical college led to the death of a first-year student

In a tragic incident, an 18-year-old medical student lost his life after being ragged by his seniors in Gujarat’s Patan district.

The first-year student, Anil Natwarbhai Methaniya, died on Saturday night, reportedly after being forced to stand for three hours at a stretch during a ragging session at his hostel.

An investigation into his death is now underway, with police requesting an anti-ragging report from the college.

Here’s what we currently know about the case.

‘Forced’ to stand for 3 hours, give intro

According to Anil’s batchmates, over 10 first-year students were subjected to ragging on Saturday night by third-year seniors in the hostel of GMERS Medical College and Hospital in Dharpur, Patan.

“Based on the region from where we came, we were told to gather at designated hostel blocks around 9 pm. This was communicated on the WhatsApp student groups. We were asked to give our introduction after standing for more than three hours,” a first-year student shared with The Indian Express.

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Anil, who was part of this group, was from Jesda village in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district—over 150 km away from the college in Patan—where he had come to pursue his MBBS studies.

“They forced us to keep standing and asked us not to get agitated. At last, a student, who was also standing with us, fell unconscious. We rushed him to a hospital where he died," the student added.

College Dean, Dr Hardik Shah, informed the media that Anil was taken to the emergency department of Dharpur Hospital, but despite the medical team’s efforts, he could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

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Anil’s cousin, Dharmendra Methaniya rushed to hospital after he got the news. He told PTI, “I received a call from my uncle that my cousin was hospitalised after falling unconscious. When I reached there, I learnt he had died.” He said his family now demands justice from both the institution and government authorities.

Probe launched

Following Anil’s death, the college’s anti-ragging committee has launched an investigation into the incident.

“We have informed the police too. We will take strict action against those involved if found guilty of ragging,” said Dr Hardik Shah, as quoted by The Indian Express.

The deceased’s body was sent for a post-mortem, and a case of accidental death has been registered.

Patan Superintendent of Police, Dr Ravindra Patel, told the newspaper, “We have registered an accidental death report at Balisana police station. We have written to the anti-ragging committee of the medical college to submit their report at the earliest. We will take the required action based on it.”

The University Grants Commission, India’s higher education regulator, has outlawed ragging in all forms on educational campuses. Institutions have been instructed to enforce strict penalties against those found guilty of ragging or encouraging such behaviour.

Dr Manish Ramavat, CEO of the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, stated to The Times of India that an anti-ragging meeting had been convened to look into the matter.

“We convened an anti-ragging committee meeting on Sunday. Our team has started an inquiry and is taking statements. Every aspect is under investigation,” he said.

Sources within the institute revealed that five students have been identified so far. “Involvement of a few second-year students is currently under investigation,” a college source indicated.

According to a report from The Times of India, the anti-ragging cell has received over 55 complaints from medical colleges across India since the 2024 academic year began on October 14, accounting for nearly 42 per cent of the total complaints received from all colleges.

In 2024, the UGC anti-ragging cell registered 800 complaints, including 222 from medical colleges and 230 from engineering and polytechnic colleges. This is despite the fact that there are only around 700 medical colleges compared to over 8,000 engineering and technology institutions. Tragically, in four instances from medical colleges, the victims ended their own lives.

These figures highlight the persistent issue of ragging culture in medical colleges across India.

With input from agencies