Gujarat: 18-year-old MBBS student dies after hours of brutal ragging

An 18-year-old first-year MBBS student at a medical college in Gujarat's Patan district tragically died after allegedly being forced to stand for three hours as part of ragging by seniors, officials said on Sunday.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, resulted in the student collapsing after standing for an extended period. The college has launched an investigation into the matter.

Anil Methaniya, an MBBS student at GMERS Medical College and Hospital in Dharpur, Patan, allegedly collapsed and died after being forced to stand for three hours during ragging by seniors at the hostel on Saturday night, according to college dean Dr. Hardik Shah.

"The student was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed, and attempts to revive him failed and he was declared dead. His classmates said Methaniya died after being made to stand for three hours and introduce himself before seniors at the college hostel," Shah informed.

The college's anti-ragging committee has launched an investigation, and action will be taken against the seniors if they are found guilty. The student's body has been sent for a postmortem, and a case of accidental death has been registered, according to Balisana police.

A first-year student revealed that seven to eight senior students forced a group of juniors to stand for about three hours, introducing themselves one by one.

"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," he said on condition of anonymity.

Methaniya's cousin, Dharmendra Methaniya, told reporters that the family is hopeful of receiving justice from both the college and the government.

He shared, "I got a call from my uncle saying my cousin had been hospitalized after falling unconscious. When I arrived, I found out that he had passed away."

"We are waiting for the postmortem report to find out the exact cause of death. We have found out that some third-year students made him stand for two-three hours as part of ragging due to which he felt dizzy and fell down," he said.