Patna: First-year students at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) have alleged systematic ragging, sexual harassment and intimidation by senior students, claiming they are forced to participate in sexually explicit and humiliating activities, undergo physical grooming restrictions and attend prolonged ragging sessions at locations where CCTV surveillance is absent.
The allegations were shared with PatnaPress, along with screenshots of WhatsApp conversations and documents containing obscene songs, vulgar jokes, sexually explicit instructions and rules governing how junior students must interact with seniors.
According to the students, the alleged ragging extends beyond introductory exercises and includes physical, verbal and sexual humiliation. They claim that juniors are taken to rooms outside the college campus and isolated locations within the campus, including alleyways without CCTV coverage, where they are made to participate in sessions lasting three to four hours.
Students have also alleged that they are identified and picked up from nearby roads, including Makhania Kuan Road, Govind Mitra Road and Khajanchi Road, because of a prescribed dress code imposed by seniors.
Forced head-shaving and restrictive dress code
The first-year students allege that they are being forced to shave their heads and follow a specific dress code decided by senior students. They claim that the prescribed appearance makes it easier for seniors to identify and approach junior students in public places around the college.
Screenshots from a WhatsApp group named ‘Unofficial PMCH Batch 26’ contain messages instructing students to follow specific grooming and dress requirements.
One message directs male students to remain clean-shaven, keep their hair short and follow the prescribed dress code. It also instructs students to greet professors by touching their feet and address postgraduate seniors as ‘Boss’ or ‘Ma’am’.
Another message says students must remember their introductions and follow the instructions given by seniors. The students allege that these requirements are enforced through threats of punishment and humiliation.
Allegations of sexual and physical humiliation
The most serious allegations concern the nature of activities junior students are allegedly forced to perform during ragging sessions. According to the students, these include being made to assume the ‘murga’ position, a humiliating squat with hands held through the legs and gripping the ears.
They further allege that juniors are forced to make sexually suggestive sounds, enact sexual acts with inanimate objects and simulate sexual intercourse with fellow batchmates while making explicit sounds.
Students also claim they are made to shout out their names while attaching sexually abusive and derogatory words to their identities, both in the ears of other students and loudly in front of the group.
They allege that earlier activities also included carrying condoms as part of a so-called ‘technical introduction’ and reciting sexually explicit and vulgar material involving references to women and minors.
The documents shared with PatnaPress appear to contain material consistent with some of these allegations.
One document titled ‘PDP Requirements’ lists five Hindi songs, five Bhojpuri songs, five vegetarian jokes and five non-vegetarian jokes. It also contains sections titled ‘L*n* ki Paribhasha’ (definition of a male sexual organ) and ‘C*u* ki Paribhasha’ (definition of a female sexual organ), followed by sexually explicit and obscene content.
Another section lists vulgar expressions as purported synonyms for male and female sexual organs.
A separate document titled ‘Medical Geet’ (Medical Song) contains obscene lyrics presented in the format of a medical-themed song.
Students allege ragging at locations without CCTV coverage
The students claim that seniors deliberately take juniors to locations where CCTV cameras are absent to conduct ragging sessions.
They have identified October 6, 2026, as the date of one of the earliest incidents they reported. According to their account, students were taken to a location inside the campus near Gate 2, close to the old OPD counter and the roads leading towards the hostel. The alleged incident took place between 3pm and 4pm. They further claim that the practice continued almost daily.
In the most recent incident described by the students, on October 26, between 3.40pm and 4.20pm, junior students were allegedly taken from the dissection hall gate and subjected to ragging near the gate before being moved elsewhere.
The students say they had requested college authorities to examine and provide CCTV footage of the identified locations and time periods to establish what happened.
Midnight messages and threats of five-year boycott
The students have also alleged that seniors send messages at unpredictable hours, including late at night and around midnight, and expect immediate responses. Failure to respond promptly is allegedly followed by punishment.
WhatsApp screenshots shared with PatnaPress contain conversations in which participants appear to discuss the circulation of material on Reddit and instruct others to delete posts and messages.
One message questions why students are making the matter public and tells them to delete the content shared on Reddit. It warns that if the matter becomes known, they could face a boycott for five years.
Another message instructs students not to disclose anyone’s name, even if questioned by a senior or a female faculty member.
A separate conversation advises students to claim that the material had arrived through WhatsApp’s quick-share feature if questioned by professors or others.
The messages also refer to the possibility of checking students’ phones and dissolving the boys’ WhatsApp group.
The students allege that such communications are part of a continuing effort to discourage them from reporting ragging or approaching authorities.
Allegations of caste-based grouping and involvement of female seniors
The students have raised another concern regarding the alleged division of the batch into groups referred to as ‘phylum’. According to them, the term is being used as a code word for caste-based grouping among students.
They have also alleged that male senior students conduct introductory sessions involving female junior students, with the process reportedly organised on caste lines.
The students have questioned the intentions behind such activities, particularly in view of the sexual and mental harassment they claim male junior students have already experienced.
While the students allege that almost all senior students are involved in the practice, they say some are more actively involved than others. The individual roles and identities of those allegedly responsible have not been independently established.
Previous complaints allegedly failed to stop ragging
The students claim that complaints have previously been made to college authorities but have not resulted in any lasting change.
According to their account, two senior students were suspended on paper on two separate occasions for different incidents and reasons. However, they allege that the suspensions were not effectively enforced and that the ragging continued despite the complaints.
They maintain that repeated complaints have failed to bring the situation under control and that threats from seniors have made students apprehensive about speaking openly.
PMCH acknowledges complaint, initiates disciplinary action
An official communication issued by the Office of the Principal, Patna Medical College and Hospital, dated October 14, 2026, to the UGC Anti-Ragging Helpline provides details of the action taken following an earlier complaint (No. BR_0483).
According to the letter, a meeting of the college’s Anti-Ragging Committee was held on October 14, during which three students from the 2025 MBBS batch were called for questioning.
The college stated that two students denied involvement in the alleged ragging incident and submitted evidence to support their claims that they were not present on campus at the time. The third student acknowledged circulating unparliamentary messages and submitted a written apology.
The letter further states that disciplinary action was initiated against the student, including suspension for two months and cancellation of hostel allotment for the same period.
The communication was sent to the UGC Anti-Ragging Helpline in response to its email dated October 4, 2026, and details the proceedings undertaken by the college’s Anti-Ragging Committee.
PMCH officials refused to comment
The screenshots and documents have been shared with PatnaPress by students through social media. Additional allegations regarding the locations, nature and frequency of ragging were communicated by the students through e-mail.
The authenticity of the screenshots, the identities of the individuals involved and the circumstances surrounding the alleged incidents could not be independently established at the time of filing this report.
PatnaPress contacted several faculty members at PMCH who are part of the college’s anti-ragging squad and helpline, but none responded to calls seeking their comments. Dr Rashmi Singh, Associate Professor of Pathology and a member of the Students Section of the anti-ragging squad, also declined to comment over the phone.
The allegations raise serious questions about student safety, institutional accountability and the effectiveness of anti-ragging mechanisms at one of Bihar’s prominent medical institutions.
