Two FIRs were registered against six intern doctors of Government Medical College, Bhavnagar, in Gujarat in a case of ragging, abduction and assault on three of their batchmates on Saturday.
They have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to wrongful confinement, intentionally insulting to provoke a breach of peace and causing hurt, along with using obscene acts and language in a public place. Four of the six accused intern doctors were suspended by the college authorities on Friday. A meeting of the anti-ragging committee has been scheduled for March 15.
According to the first FIR, the accused had taken offence at messages posted on an Instagram page, titled Convocation Speaks, which was created by the victims for “fun” purposes. No arrests have been made so far, as the investigation is still ongoing, the Nilambaug police told The Indian Express.
Late on Thursday night, Dr Milan Kaklotar, Dr Piyush Chauhan, Dr Naren Chaudhary, Dr Man Patel, Dr Abhiraj Parmar and Dr Balbhadra allegedly abducted two fellow interns—Dr Akash Karthiya and Dr Ishan Kotak—from near Swami Vivekanand Circle, Bhavnagar, in a car. For three hours, the victims were driven across the city during which they were allegedly beaten badly, threatened with death and abused by the accused. Their mobile phones were also forcibly unlocked and photos of galleries and WhatsApp chats were taken by one of the accused, according to the first FIR.
Around 2 am on Friday, the two victims were taken to New Boys Hostel, where Dr Aman Joshi, another intern doctor, was woken up and assaulted by Dr Patel, Dr Chaudhary, Dr Balbhadra and Dr Kaklotar, according to the second FIR.
The three victims were admitted to Sir T Hospital in Bhavnagar.
“Based on the written complaint, the anti-ragging committee held an urgent meeting on Friday and the college has suspended these four intern doctors. Both the victims and accused are interns of the same batch,” Dr Sushil Jha, Dean of Government Medical College Bhavnagar, told The Indian Express.
Dr Ishan Kotak is the complainant in one FIR and Dr Aman Joshi in the other.
College authorities said the entire issue erupted from the convocation function preparations and the social media page created by the victims.
“Since the investigation by the committee is still ongoing, which could not be completed in the absence of recorded statements from the victims who are admitted to the hospital, the anti-ragging committee is meeting again on March 15. Since the internship of the accused is in the final stages, we will not issue any documents or certificates to them,” Jha further said.