Gujarat: FIR against 15 high school students after 1st year MBBS student dies of alleged mutilation

Gujarat police have registered an FIR against 15 students of GMERS Medical College in Patan district’s Dharpur following the death of an 18-year-old first-year student who they allegedly raged, officials said on Monday.

According to officials, the freshmen were forced to sing and dance, and were insulted for three and a half hours. The college administration suspended the accused following the report of the anti-robbery committee.

The victim, Anil Metania (Patel), of Jesda village in Surendranagar district, allegedly died after he was made to stand for three-and-a-half hours in his hostel room.

According to the complaint, the first-year and second-year students gathered in the common room on the second floor of the boys’ dormitory for a “get-to-know-you” around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 16). The victim was reportedly stripped and made to stand for more than 3 hours, according to the FIR lodged at the Balisan police station at 12:30 am on Monday. Dr. Anilkumar Bhatija, additional dean of the medical college, filed the complaint.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 127(2) (wrongful imprisonment) and 189(2) (unlawful assembly).

“Around 12:30 pm, Anil Patel started feeling dizzy, lost consciousness and died during treatment. After dean Hardik Shah was informed, the first-year students filed written statements that they were called by second-year students for ‘familiarization’… they were made to sing and dance, verbally abused and made to stand for more than three-and-a-half hours,” – reported in the FIR.

The police statement stated that the dean immediately convened a commission to combat delirium, which he heads together with several teachers.

The committee debriefed 26 witnesses, including 11 who testified in person. According to the testimony, 15 second-year students allegedly forced their juniors to “continually stand, sing and dance.” Further questioning by the commission of 15 accused coincided with the testimony of the freshmen.

The college administration suspended all 15 students from both the hostel and academic activities.