Kalyani, September 19: 40 medical students and trainee doctors from the College of Medicine and JNM Hospital, Kalyani, Nadia, have been suspended for six months by college authorities for allegedly terrorizing and intimidating their peers. An investigation has been launched, and further actions will be determined based on the findings. Until then, the accused students will not be permitted to enter the college, hostel, or hospital premises, though they will be allowed to sit for their examinations, according to college sources.
The expelled students are reportedly affiliated with the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad and are accused of threatening and harassing other students.
This decision was made following a preliminary investigation by the institution’s Anti-Ragging Committee, which was then reviewed in an extended college council meeting held on Thursday evening.
The investigation began after 32 students from the college submitted a joint petition via email to Principal Manidip Pal and other authorities. They accused three prominent leaders of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad and ten class representatives of creating a culture of fear, making life unbearable on campus with both mental and physical harassment that disrupted their academic performance.
In response, Principal Pal referred the matter to the Anti-Ragging Committee, which convened an emergency meeting to hear from both the accused and the complainants. During the meeting, the committee also reviewed several prior complaints from individual students. The committee found the allegations to have merit and recommended the suspension, a committee member said. The decision was then confirmed at the college council meeting, where a unanimous resolution led to the expulsion of the 39 students and junior doctors for six months.
Principal Pal told The NfN, “Based on numerous pieces of prima facie evidence, statements from individual students, and digital evidence, the extended college council has decided to expel the following students from the hostel, hospital, and campus for six months. An investigation into the allegations will continue.”
He added, “These students will only be allowed to enter the college premises to attend examinations or appear before the Anti-Ragging Committee, Internal Complaint Committee, or any special inquiry committee.”
Among the expelled students are several prominent leaders of the Trinamool Congress student wing, including trainee doctors Sh Md Akhil, Abdul Alim Biswas, and Hasan ur Jarnan Mondal.
In addition to the expulsions, all class representatives have been removed from their positions, and the college union has been dissolved. Principal Pal further stated that the expelled students would be barred from contesting future elections.
A police picket has been set up on campus, and all evidence against the 39 accused students will be handed over to the police for further investigation.
It was also decided that former principal Avijit Mukherjee of the Department of Surgery and Professor Ayan Ghosh from Community Medicine, who was also accused of fostering a culture of intimidation, would no longer hold any administrative positions in the college.
All the 40 accused students have been instructed to vacate the hostel immediately.