Following a video of a group of first-year MBBS students, all tonsured, going viral, the Haldwani Government Medical College administration has called an inquiry to look into the ragging angle. The disciplinary committee and the anti-ragging panel, which also have district administration participation, will talk to the students and recommend action if ragging is established. So far, the college administration, however, has not received any complaint from any of the first-year students. In the video, which is making rounds on the social media, tonsured students in lab coats can be seen walking silently in a line with heads down and hands behind their backs. Talking to The Indian Express, medical college Principal Arun Joshi said "if it is proved that the ragging did take place on the campus then the harshest possible action will be taken against those responsible". "We have seen the video and students, all tonsured, can be seen walking in a line from their lecture hall up to the dining hall. The guard was present and the video appears to be a few days' old. The students have given different reasons for shaving their heads. Some said it was because of heat and some cited dandruff problem. However, it is possible that they were under pressure to give such reasons", he said. "Taking cognisance of the matter, we have called the disciplinary committee meeting on Monday. We will ask the first-year students to give their statements in writing. We will ask them to cite reasons for shaving their heads and if they were pressured in any way. Since there is suspicion of ragging, anti-ragging committee meeting will also take place and it will also involve the district administration", said Joshi, adding that the fresh batch of MBBS started last month. This is, however, not the first time that instances of alleged ragging have been reported from the college. A few students were slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 each in 2019 on similar allegations. The administration at that time had claimed that the incident was a result of an altercation between students. Similar incidents were reported in 2016, too.
