The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the immediate suspension of former principal of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College (RPMC), Tanda, Himachal Pradesh, following the submission of a report by the Medical Council of India (MCI) into the death of first-year student Aman Kachroo, allegedly due to ragging.

Within hours of the order being passed, the Himachal Government put Dr S Shankhyan under suspension with immediate effect. The state’s Principal Secretary (Health) Deepak Sanan confirmed the action. Principal Anil Chauhan of the RPMC has also been informed about the suspension. Earlier, Dr Shankhyan was replaced and reverted to his Department of Forensic Medicine. A magisterial inquiry has already held the college responsible for the episode.

Responding to the MCI report by a three-member committee, a Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat found the approach of the former principal “indifferent and insensitive”. The report, seeking immediate suspension of Dr Shankhyan, described how incidents of ragging continued under him without any check. While amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium recalled several incidents of ragging within the college premises, the MCI said the former principal did not take any effective measures to stop them.

What intrigued and annoyed the Bench most was a note by Dr Shankhya on March 9, 2009 on a complaint of a security guard which bore the date March 7, 2009. The principal wrote, “given to me by Warden on March 9; misleading information by security guard.” Kachroo died on the night of March 8.

The MCI report has also slammed other faculty members. “Despite constituting an anti-ragging committee subsequent to the apex court’s guidelines in 2008,” MCI counsel Amrinder Singh informed the court, “members (of the faculty) failed to enure any effective implementation of the measures.”

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