Campuses of Fear: Rampant Ragging in Rajasthan and Himachal Medical Colleges Exposes State Inaction
SHIMLA/JAIPUR: Medical campuses across Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are turning into centers of torment, as a spate of severe ragging incidents shatters the illusion of campus safety and leaves state authorities facing accusations of criminal negligence.
In Rajasthan alone, four ragging cases have surfaced in a single week. The latest incident took place at the Government Medical College in Chittorgarh, where first-year female students were allegedly subjected to harassment, humiliation, and severe mental torture by seniors inside the girls’ hostel.
Simultaneously, a similar pattern of abuse has emerged from Dr. Radhakrishnan Government Medical College in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, underscoring that anti-ragging mandates exist largely on paper.
The erring students were suspended and fine in Hamirpur but there is no action in Rajasthan.
While the National Medical Commission (NMC) intervened by demanding an urgent 24-hour Action Taken Report in Rajasthan, the response from state administrations, medical education departments, and local police remains sluggish and cosmetic.
"Zero tolerance cannot remain a slogan confined to government circulars and press briefings," said Dr. Lakshya Mittal, National President of the United Doctors Front (UDF).
"Junior students arrive on campus with dreams of becoming doctors, not to be broken by fear, systemic humiliation, and torture. The states must stop hiding behind routine paperwork and enforce the law on the ground."
The continuous breakdown of campus discipline points to systemic failures across both state apparatuses:
Incompetent Internal Oversight: Anti-ragging committees in state-run colleges operate largely as PR buffers rather than functional deterrents, frequently downplaying complaints to protect institutional reputations.
Absence of Ground Vigilance: Surprise inspections of hostels and vulnerable common areas remain virtually nonexistent, giving seniors unchecked authority over newcomers.
Complicit Law Enforcement: Despite the Supreme Court's stringent anti-ragging directives, local police repeatedly treat deliberate psychological and physical assault as internal academic friction rather than cognizable criminal acts.
Victim Intimidation: Complainants frequently face threats of academic sabotage, social boycotts, and institutional retaliation, forcing many into silence while abusers operate with near-total impunity.
The crisis has triggered widespread outrage among resident doctors' associations, medical aspirants, and distressed parents.
Medical bodies demand that the governments of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh immediately launch independent, state-wide hostel inspections, register formal criminal cases against repeat offenders, and penalize college administrators who shield abusers.
Until state leaders hold college principals and local law enforcement directly accountable, India's premier medical institutions will continue to produce terrorized juniors rather than confident healthcare professionals.
