The family of 18-year-old MBBS student, who died after he was allegedly ‘made to stand for three hours’ during a ragging incident at the GMERS college hostel in Dharpur, Patan, called for stricter measures against harassment.
The victim, Anil Methaniya, a first-year student from Surendranagar district, suffered fatal head injuries on November 17 after fainting during a ragging session. He was reportedly forced to stand for three hours and introduce himself as part of the bullying by senior students.
The local police registered an FIR and later arrested 15 seniors involved in the incident. The FIR lists the names of the suspended students: Avdhesh Ashok Patel, Hiren Mansukh Prajapati, Tushar Pira Gohelkar, Prakash Madha Desai, Jaimin Savji Chaudhary, Praveen Varjang Chaudhary, Vivek Gaman Rabari, Rutvik Purshottam Limbadiya, Mehul Pratap Dedhatar, Surjal Ruda Baldaniya, Haresh Gambhir Chavda, Vaibhavkumar Vikaskumar Raval, Parag Bharat Kalsariya, Utpal Sailesh Vasava and Vishal Lagdhir Chaudhary.
The family demanded harsh punishment for the culprits to prevent other students from facing similar mistreatment. He was the youngest and only son of his parents.
His cousin, Dinesh, expressed that while Anil cannot be brought back, the authorities must ensure that no other family loses a child to ragging.
Dinesh stated, “Those responsible for this cruel act deserve severe punishment, which should serve as a warning to prevent such incidents from happening to vulnerable teenagers leaving home for the first time.”
“What kind of doctors will these students become after causing the death of an 18-year-old?”
The deceased’s parents, Natwar and Geeta, are struggling to cope with the loss of their son, who had come into their lives after 11 years of marriage. His sister, Nidhi, was hospitalised for a day after hearing about his death, as her blood pressure dropped.
The victim, son of a farmer with 80 bighas of land, had scored an impressive 545 marks in NEET on his first attempt and secured admission to the MBBS program. He was the first in his family to pursue a medical degree. His parents chose GMERS over his initial choice, SAL Institute, believing in the reputation of the government institution.
The last time Methaniya was seen was during Diwali celebrations. He had attended Nidhi’s engagement on October 20 and was eagerly looking forward to her wedding in February. As the youngest in the family, he was deeply loved and his bright future was a source of pride. His loss has been felt not just by his family but also by many students in his village whom he inspired to aim high.
Experts have pointed out that the college’s anti-ragging committee failed to include student or parent representatives, as required by National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. Students also lacked contact information for external members of the committee, which is troubling given that college authorities were reportedly aware of the ongoing harassment but did nothing to stop it.
A student revealed that freshers were discouraged from approaching the authorities.
“We were told that if we complained, our seniors would be informed and the complainants would be harassed, making things worse for juniors. It wasn’t just one group involved in ragging—there were six groups, each representing a different region of the state. The tragic incident occurred after five continuous days of ragging,” the student said.
Students claim that the hostel lacked a warden or any authority figures to help students in emergencies. Most senior staff reside outside the district, and the hostel only had one security guard.
Also Read: Gujarat: MBBS Student Dies After Ragging By Seniors
