Ragging: 7 CMC students released on station bail

VELLORE: The seven CMC students, A Srikanth, Anbu Solomon Dino, Bahadur Singh, Dakka Stalin Babu, Krishna Chaitanya Reddy, Janarthanan Alagarsamy, and Munirajulu Enosh Anbishek, who were booked on charges of ragging by the Bagayam police and released on station bail on Friday, have been ordered to appear for inquiry as and when summoned by the police.

Asked about the status of investigation, police said, “if necessary we will visit the Christian Medical College (CMC) at Bagayam or ask those involved in the case to come for inquiry to the police station.”

Meanwhile, when this reporter asked if any psychological assessment of first-year students was conducted to pinpoint possible behavioural aberrations, the college officials said that only a preliminary assessment was undertaken.

A doctor seeking anonymity told this reporter, “ragging activities like seniors interacting with freshers in an effort to know them better is accepted and not banned. But when seniors resort to physical and sexual intimidation and abuse which can scar juniors for life then an early assessment can provide a clue about possible future outcomes.”

Sources said that “the usual practice at CMC is for each student to be allotted a faculty member as a mentor with whom they interact regarding academic issues. They can also discuss personal issues if and when necessary.”

Asked about the steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents, college sources informed that all anti-ragging measures would be strengthened. “This is being looked into by the anti-ragging committee” an official said.

Asked about the existence of CCTV cameras in the hostel, he said such cameras were placed only in vantage points on the college and hostel premises. On whether CCTV footage was examined to check whether the anonymous email and social media post were bona fide, the official said this was now being looked into by the police who had registered the case.