This post is being written not to sensationalize, but to document and discuss a recent ragging-related incident that occurred at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (NSCB) Medical College, Jabalpur.
Last week, a group of first-year MBBS students reportedly faced harassment inside the boys’ hostel. The seniors involved allegedly called them into a room under the pretext of a “casual interaction,” which soon escalated into a series of actions that were far from harmless. According to students who were present, the freshers were made to stand in line, answer personal questions, mimic faculty members, and were even instructed to perform uncomfortable tasks meant to humiliate.
One of the students affected by this incident was visibly shaken and sought counseling the next morning. Others chose to remain silent, citing fear of backlash from the senior batch. There were murmurs in the hostel, but no formal complaint was filed—largely due to hesitation and a lack of clarity on whether the administration would take it seriously.
This raises several uncomfortable but necessary questions.
Is ragging still seen as a ‘rite of passage’ in 2025?
Why does silence feel safer than seeking help?
What can institutions like NSCB do to rebuild trust between students and administration?
Despite the UGC-mandated anti-ragging policy and the existence of institutional committees, these mechanisms often fail to inspire confidence among those who are most vulnerable. If the system exists only on paper, then we must ask whether it serves any purpose at all.
Many students at NSCB—especially those in their early years—find themselves in a difficult transition, away from home, navigating academic pressure, and trying to settle into a rigid hierarchy of seniority. When that hierarchy turns hostile, it leads not to learning, but to long-term harm.
This incident, while not the first of its kind, should prompt serious introspection. Ragging is not bonding. It is not mentorship. It is an abuse of position.