india

Updated: Aug 23, 2019 00:28 IST

Kanpur: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences (UPUMS) vice-chancellor Raj Kumar over alleged ragging of freshers at the varsity on Monday.

A group of seniors allegedly forced about 150 first-year UPUMS students to shave their heads and parade on the campus despite a ban on ragging in educational institutes. The photos of the alleged ragging went viral on social media and prompted the university administration to order a probe.

In the notice, MCI secretary general R K Vats warned of a fine, a ban on the seniors from attending classes for a month and adding the UPUMS to the category “erring” institutions over the alleged ragging. HT has accessed the notice, which said 150 students were allegedly ragged.

The notice warned Kumar that the university’s recognition would be ended for a year if his reply was not satisfactory.

The MCI’s notice came after proctor Ramakant Yadav-led UPUMS inquiry panel exonerated the seniors from all responsibility for the alleged ragging.

The UPUMS authorities initially played down the alleged ragging by maintaining that students got their heads shaved as part of a tradition.

A two-member team comprising sub-divisional magistrate Satya Prakash Singh and circle officer Massa Singh separately submitted their report over the raging to district magistrate JB Singh over the issue and confirmed that heads of 200 freshers were shaved, according to people aware of the development.

In the report, the two said the university authorities did not do anything to stop the alleged ragging, the people added.

The report said the university’s anti-ragging committee was ineffective, the people said and added the report was being sent to Uttar Pradesh’s medical education principal secretary Deepak Kumar.

In 2007, the Supreme Court issued guidelines for the prevention and prohibition of ragging in educational institutions.