Caste clashes in medical hostel: Probe ordered

NEW DELHI, February 24: The police have taken preventive action against the students of the University College of Medical Sciences UCMS...

NEW DELHI, February 24: The police have taken preventive action against the students of the University College of Medical Sciences UCMS of the Guru Tegh Bahadur GTB Hospital, following a clash between students in the boy8217;s hostel on Monday night. The college principal has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to look into the incident.

DCP north east Muktesh Chander said, 8220;We can8217;t depute police inside the university premises unless the principal asks for it, so there is no round-the-clock security. But we are watching them.8221; Action has been taken under Sections 105 and 150 CrPC.

Students from the reserved and general categories came to blows in the boy8217;s hostel on Monday night. The fighting continued till early the next morning, and ended when the police were called in.

Fed up of what they call a 8220;continuing process of victimisation and harassment8221;, the reserved category students filed a complaint at the Dilshad Garden police post just outside GTB. They allege that they were dragged out of their rooms and beaten up by the other students, even as the provost looked on. Meanwhile, the UCMS student8217;s union insists that the fight was not caste-based, and was a fall out of a personal problem.

According to Dr Saurabh Chawla, 8220;Whatever happened is because of personal rivalry which most probably started during the annual cultural festival of our college. A group of students, who were obviously inebriated, apparently tried to molest some girls who had come for the festival. When on repeated requests they did not refrain, a minor quarrel ensued between two or three students. This has been blown out of proportion and made a caste issue.8221;

The reserved category students beg to differ. According to Sudhir Kumar, the trouble started when he was leaving the TV room at around 10.30 p.m. that night. He says he was pushed around by another student, Kapil Jain. Jain denies this. Kumar says that a mob led by Dr Vikas Sardana entered his room, dragged him out and beat him. Sardana insists that nothing of the sort happened.

When ACMO Dr Sanjay Nigam, who lives in the Junior Resident Doctor8217;s hostel, heard about the problem he went to the boy8217;s hostel with two others. 8220;We went to Sudhir8217;s room and saw 15-20 boys sitting there and crying. They had all been beaten badly. The PA system announcement was made in front of us. When we spoke to the warden he tried to fool us by saying that he was sorting out the matter, and asked us to leave.8221;

Story continues below this ad

Nigam alleges that he wasn8217;t spared either. As he left the boy8217;s hostel he apparently ran into Sardana. Nigam says, 8220;Sardana was my batch-mate. He saw me and asked what I was doing there. When I told him he called me a schedu8217; and started hitting me.8221;

Sardana says, 8220;I was going back to my room when I saw Nigam and three others. I never abused him or called him schedu8217;. He was drunk and got into a fight with me. I was also beaten8221;.