Surat doctor’s suicide over ‘ragging’: Anticipatory bail plea of another accused PG student rejected

A Surat court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of a second-year postgraduate (PG) student of the Government Medical College (GMC), Surat, in a case linked to the “mental and physical harassment” faced by a first-year PG student of the same college, Dr Harsh Pandya, who died allegedly by suicide in August.

A few days ago, the same court rejected the bail application of another accused, also a PG student at the same college, in connection with the same case. The case was heard in the court of Special Judge (Atrocity), P A Patel.
On August 15, Harsh’s father Dr Shubhashchandra Pandya, a resident of Modasa, registered a police complaint against four PG students of the medical college in connection with his son’s death.

An anti-ragging committee set up by the GMC found that four accused senior students were involved in harassing the first-year students by using “abusive” language and “insulting them in front of other students”. The junior students were allegedly forced to sit on the floor for hours and were told to do menial tasks by the accused.

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“Unable to bear the harassment,” Dr Harsh Pandya allegedly hanged himself in his hostel room on August 9, the police complaint alleges.

The police booked all four accused under BNS 108 (abetment of suicide), 127 (2) (wrongfully confines another person), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 3(2)(v) of the Atrocity Act. The local police issued notices to all four accused.