Five AIIMS Rajkot MBBS Students Arrested in Suicide Case of Classmate
In a tragic incident, five final-year MBBS students of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rajkot have been arrested on charges of abetment to suicide. This follows the death of their classmate, Ratan Kumar Meghwal (26), who died by suicide on Saturday, March 14, 2024.
Case Registered and Legal Actions
The case was registered at Gandhigram police station in Rajkot based on a complaint filed by the victim's father, Mohanlal Meghwal. The accused students have been sent to judicial custody after being produced before a court. They have been booked under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The investigation has been handed over to ACP Chintan Patel of the SC/ST Cell. Patel stated, "All five accused, who are classmates of the deceased, have been arrested and their statements are being recorded. They were produced before the court, which sent them to judicial custody." He added that three of the accused are from Rajasthan, one from Haryana, and one from Bharuch in Gujarat.
Details of the Suicide and Harassment Allegations
According to police reports, Ratan died by suicide in the early hours of March 14 after coming under a train near Ghanteshwar on Jamnagar Road in Rajkot. Railway police recovered his bag from the spot, which contained a mobile phone, a tablet, and a notebook.
In a 17-page note found in the notebook, written in both Hindi and English, Ratan allegedly accused several fellow students of physically assaulting and mentally harassing him since January. The harassment stemmed from suspicions regarding his relationship with a girl. The note mentioned an alleged incident of harassment on January 27 and requested that it be treated as his "dying declaration".
Background and Previous Suicide Attempt
Police sources revealed that Ratan had earlier attempted suicide in January after leaving the AIIMS hostel with a note in which he had reportedly named the same students. At that time, he was rescued near railway tracks and later taken home to Rajasthan by his family. He had recently returned to Rajkot to appear for his final-year MBBS examinations. However, instead of going to the hostel, he went towards the railway tracks where he allegedly ended his life.
When asked why no action was initiated against the accused in January when Ratan had named them in his note, police sources explained that since Ratan's family did not file a formal complaint, no case was registered and the accused were not summoned for questioning.
Accused Students and Examination Permission
The arrested students have been identified as Pranav Paliwal, Asmit Sharma, Ayush Yadav, Nirvighnam Noor, and Yuvraj Chaudhary. In his complaint, Mohanlal Meghwal alleged that continuous harassment by the accused had mentally broken his son and ultimately pushed him to take the extreme step.
All five accused, who are in the final year of the MBBS course, pleaded before the magisterial court to allow them to appear for the final examinations, which begin on Monday. Sources said the court granted them permission to appear for the exams under police custody.
