First year MBBS students of the Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai were allegedly forced to tonsure their heads and salute their seniors. A video of the incident, put out by news agency ANI, shows nearly 150 students walking down the streets of Etawah wearing white coats and with their heads shaved. The vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Raj Kumar, said that he would take strict action if there has been any indiscipline. “If there has been any indiscipline,strict action will be taken. Students can approach at least their warden. I’ll keep an eye,” Kumar told news agency ANI.
In another video that has gone viral on social media, the students can be seen offering mock salutes to a group of seniors.
The vice chancellor said that they have a special squad in place which visits every place in the University to keep ragging in check. “We have a separate dean social welfare for students. We also have a special squad which visits every place in University to keep a chieck on ragging,” Kumar told ANI.
The University also said that they would take cognizance of the incident and initiate strong action against those involved. “We have suspended students earlier also. I want to assure juniors that they need not worry,” Kumar said.
Saifai is the home village of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Both Mulayam and Akhilesh are former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh.
Despite ragging been banned in India, over 900 cases of ragging were registered in 2017. In May this year, a 26-year-old medical student Payal Tadvi committed suicide after her fellow doctors allegedly ragged her and hurled casteist abuses as she belonged to a Scheduled Tribe. Tadvi’s family said that her daughter had told her that “she could no longer bear the torture.” The Mumbai Police has booked three doctors for abettment of suicide.