A second-year postgraduate orthopaedic student at the prestigious BJ Medical College (BJMC), Ahmedabad recently accused a teacher, a senior doctor of the college, of continuous harassment and humiliation. Following this, another first-year PG orthopaedic student has stepped forward with even more serious allegations—severe physical abuse by two second-year PG students within the same department.
Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, the complainant reported being subjected to “kicking, punching, and slapping” by his senior peers, Dr Avinash Shinde and Dr Pranay Sakare. The National Medical Commission (NMC) swiftly responded to his complaint, demanding an explanation from BJMC within 24 hours.
This first-year student shares the same batch as the individual who recently accused Dr Bhavesh Namshah, an orthopaedic department teacher, of mental harassment and ill-treatment. However, due to his hiatus from college caused by ragging, he remains classified as a first-year student.
The student’s detailed complaint sheds light on the horrifying experiences he endured. “During my initial days, Dr Shinde slapped me 8-10 times and kicked and punched me in the female orthopaedic ward,” he revealed. The abuse continued in the operation theatre, with threats of violence if he didn’t abandon his studies, he further alleged.
Despite filing a written complaint, the student received no support due to a lack of evidence against the accused seniors. Encouraged by the department administration, he eventually returned to BJMC, but the harassment persisted.
“They continued to torture me physically, mentally, and financially. They threatened not to teach me anything and treated me as a junior even after new students joined the college,” the victim stated.
Dr Yashwant also features in the complaint, accused of snatching and throwing the student’s phone away in the emergency operation theatre.
Financial coercion was another aspect of the abuse. The seniors allegedly forced the students to spend significant amounts on snacks and food for them. “They demanded Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 for snacks on Tuesdays and Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for food on Saturdays. Additionally, I had to pay Rs 12,000 to Rs 20,000 per month to someone working for them. When I lacked money, they intensified their torment,” the student’s complaint revealed.
Meanwhile, taking cognizance of the aforementioned complaints related to the incidents, the Junior Doctors’ Association, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital Indore has also written to the Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and the BJMC dean to take action on this. Terming it a matter of ‘grave concern’, the association has highlighted the ‘unjust and unacceptable behaviour’ of the senior colleagues that, it says, has ‘hampered their (the complainants’) professional growth and mental well-being’. It has urged a ‘thorough and impartial’ probe into the matter and ‘appropriate disciplinary action’ against the guilty, to ‘prevent and recurrence of such behaviour’.
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