Surat: The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is likely to be invoked in the ragging and suicide case involving Dr Harsh Pandya, as he belonged to the scheduled caste community.Pandya’s father, Dr Subhash, a retired govt officer, is likely to file his complaint with Surat police on Saturday, after the besna (condolence meet) at their native place in Aravalli on Friday. Once provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act are added, the investigation is likely to be transferred to the SC/ST Cell of Surat city police, as such cases are investigated by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP).Meanwhile, Dr Subhash has sought the strictest punishment for the four second-year residents accused of ragging his son, as well as the faculty members he holds responsible for the incident.Speaking to TOI, Dr Pandya said the family was currently occupied with rituals following his son’s final rites and receiving relatives who had arrived to offer condolences. “We have organised a besna on Friday. This will be the last event before we leave for Surat to file a police complaint. We have received a couple of calls from the police inspector investigating the incident. I am also preparing the draft of my complaint and will submit the final complaint to Surat police on Saturday,” he said.Dr Pandya said he would seek the inclusion of abetment to suicide provisions in the complaint and strict action against all four accused students and the faculty members found responsible.“I want a complaint for abetment to suicide to be filed in this case. I want all four students to be barred from medical education permanently. Under the current punishment, they could return to campus in six months, which does not make any sense. We also demand strict action against the dean, head of department and other faculty members responsible in this case,” he said.The Government Medical College, Surat, has already lodged a complaint related to ragging in the case. A second FIR is expected to be registered once Dr Pandya or another family member submits the complaint. In the first case, Khatodara police have issued notices to the four second-year students of the microbiology department.Meanwhile, the case has reportedly triggered a tussle between two factions within Surat’s medical fraternity. While one group is pushing for action against the students and faculty members, the other is reportedly seeking to shield at least two of the four faculty members who were issued notices.On Wednesday, a report was allegedly leaked through VNSGU officials, stating that the committee had found that the ragging could not be directly linked to the suicide. However, Dr Jayesh Brahmbhatt, head of the anti-ragging committee and dean of GMC-Surat, told TOI: “We have shared the report with the govt and other concerned authorities as mandated. In the committee order, we have only mentioned that ragging was proven, four students were suspended and four faculty members were issued notices.”Students to appeal against actionSurat: Four second-year PG students named in the case have reportedly written to the college, claiming they are not guilty and that their actions cannot be construed as ragging. However, they were given an opportunity to present their defence before the anti-ragging committee during its proceedings. The appellate authority is Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU), where the students are expected to challenge the action taken against them.
