IGMC Girls Hostel Tragedy: Lax Security in IGMC Shimla raises many questions unanswered.
Shimla – The shocking death of a 22-year-old man Karan Patial, who fell from the fourth floor of the IGMC Girls Hostel in the dead of night, has sent ripples of fear and outrage through the medical fraternity and residents in the capital.
The incident, which occurred late Saturday night, has raised alarming questions about the safety and security measures—or the lack thereof—at one of the state's premier medical institutions.
Karan, who has been identified as a student from a private university in Palampur, Kangra, somehow gained access to the girls' hostel in the Lakkar Bazaar area and tragically met his end.
The fact that an outsider could enter the hostel and reach the fourth floor, undetected until his fall, has left residents, faculty, and the public questioning how secure these so-called "safe spaces" really are.
IGMC Principal Sita Thakur confirmed the incident to media here today, stating that two security personnel are assigned to the girls' hostel.
However, the ease with which Karan was able to bypass them and gain access raises serious doubts about the effectiveness of these security measures.
"The police are investigating how the youth managed to reach the fourth floor," Thakur added, but the damage has been done. The incident starkly exposes the vulnerability of these institutions meant to provide security to future doctors.
This isn't just a tragic accident—it's a wake-up call. The recent brutal rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata should have been a stark reminder of the dangers that women in these institutions face.
The National Medical Commission has already issued an SOS to medical colleges and hospitals across the country, urging them to tighten security and ensure the safety of their residents.
But is anyone at IGMC listening?
Residents and faculty members are now demanding that the state government step in to ensure the safety of medical college campuses. "How did an outsider get into a girls' hostel, that too at midnight?
This should never have happened," they say. The ramshackle conditions and lax security make them easy targets for intruders, doctors rued.
The police must get to the bottom of why Karan was at the hostel, but that’s just the beginning.
