A complaint of ragging and intimidation involving two first-year MBBS students has prompted an investigation at Calcutta Medical College after their families were called by unidentified persons and told that their sons were in danger, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata.
The families, living around 200 kilometres away, travelled to Kolkata after receiving calls at about 5am. The callers allegedly told them to come quickly because their sons had caused trouble. The parents were unable to immediately reach the students by phone, who were asleep at the time, and became concerned about their safety.
The two students had joined the college around 15 days earlier. One is from Murshidabad and the other is from Kamarpukur. According to the report, both students alleged that senior students had intimidated them and told them not to remain on the campus for long after classes. The students said they were afraid that they could be implicated in an incident despite having done nothing wrong.
The students have also left their hostel and are currently staying in rented accommodation outside the institution, the report said. Their parents met college officials on Monday and requested intervention, saying that continued intimidation could affect the students’ mental well-being.
The college has formed an inquiry committee to examine the allegations and identify those responsible. The administration told the parents that the institution was meant for education and not for intimidation, and that any complaint against a student had to be reported to the authorities. It also said that only the college administration had the authority to take action after an investigation.
College officials further told the two students that no one could forcibly remove them from their hostel. The students were advised to concentrate on their studies while the administration examined the matter.
The allegations have revived concerns about the effectiveness of anti-ragging safeguards in medical colleges. The report linked the renewed concern to public demands for an end to a perceived culture of intimidation in educational institutions after the R G Kar case, while the specific allegations at Calcutta Medical College remain under inquiry.
The central question now is whether the investigation will establish who made the calls, whether senior students threatened the first-year students and whether the hostel-related allegations were connected to the reported intimidation. The college’s inquiry committee is expected to determine the facts and recommend action, if the allegations are substantiated.
