The Medical Council of India (MCI) has received six complaints of ragging by seniors in medical colleges, which include suicide by a student due to extreme harassment in Mumbai, so far in 2019-20, according to official data.

The apex medical education regulatory body had received 13 such complaints in 2018-19 and 25 complaints which included three suicide cases in 2017-18. The government is aware about the problem of ragging in medical colleges and several measures to control and check such instances have been initiated by the MCI, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told Lok Sabha during the recent winter session. Before starting of fresh batch of admissions, circular is issued to all medical colleges to provide information on Anti-Ragging Committee composition in the college with the name of members along with their telephone numbers and e-mail IDs and incidence of ragging reported and action taken in hard/soft copy, if any, the minister said.

They are also asked to submit details on the number of FIRs lodged, if any, punishment awarded, inclusion of specific information on Anti-Ragging in admission brochures/prospectus/booklets, installation of CCTV cameras in all the vulnerable places of college, hospital and hostels. The steps also include ensuring submission of online undertaking by each students and every parent. Medical colleges also have to get NAAC accreditation and place anti-ragging posters and hoardings in different parts of medical college/hostel. Besides, the MCI has provided a link on its website regarding four short films and a documentary film for information and counselling of students on the ill effects of ragging, Choubey said.

Also, all the universities and institutions as asked by the MCI show these films regularly to the students during orientation and other programmes, he said. The MCI has amended the 'Medical Council of India (Prevention and prohibition of Ragging in Medical Colleges/Institutions) Regulations 2009' to root out ragging in all its forms from medical colleges/institutions in the country. For the convenience of students and parents, a separate page on anti-ragging information with details of nodal officer has been uploaded on the website of the MCI.