Patan (Gujarat) (PTI): Police have registered an FIR against 15 students of a medical college in Gujarat's Patan district following the death of an 18-year-old student who was allegedly ragged by them, officials said on Monday.

The accused, all second-year MBBS students, allegedly made some juniors, including the victim, stand in a hostel room for more than three hours on Saturday night and subjected them to "mental and physical torture," as per the First Information Report (FIR).

They have booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offences, the FIR said.

The accused students have been suspended from their hostel and academic activities until further orders, said officials from the GMERS Medical College and Hospital at Dharpur in Patan.

The victim, Anil Methaniya, a first-year MBBS student, fell unconscious and died allegedly after being made to stand for three hours during ragging by his seniors at a hostel of the college on Saturday night, the college dean, Dr Hardik Shah, said on Sunday.

The college's anti-ragging committee chaired by Dr Shah took the statements of 26 students -- 11 of the first-year and 15 second-year students.

The committee found that 11 first-year students were subjected to ragging by a group of 15 second-year students, a college official said on Monday.

As per the FIR lodged at Balisana police station shortly after midnight on Monday, the 15 accused called 11 first-year students, including Methaniya and his classmates, to a hostel room on Saturday night for "introduction".

They made the juniors stand for nearly three-and-a half hours while forcing them to sing and dance, utter abusive words and not leave the room.

Methaniya's health deteriorated as the students were subjected to mental and physical torture. The victim fainted and fell down at around midnight. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the FIR stated.

Based on a complaint by the college's additional dean Dr Anil Bhathija, the FIR was lodged against 15 students under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, and using obscene words.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday expressed concern over the situation in Manipur and demanded that the Union government intervene to end the violence.

In a statement issued here, the Politburo of the CPI(M) also held Chief Minister Biren Singh responsible for the deteriorating situation.

“A grave situation has developed in Manipur with the intensification of violence due to killings and counter-killings on ethnic lines. 20 people have been killed in various incidents since November 7,” the CPI(M) said.

The party said that the discovery of five bodies of women and children, who were abducted earlier in a horrific incident, has inflamed the situation in the Valley.

The Left party questioned why Singh had been allowed to continue in his post.

“Right from the beginning, it was Chief Minister Biren Singh who was responsible for the deteriorating situation, yet the Central government and the BJP, as the ruling party, refused to remove him and allowed him to continue,” they said.

A situation has now arisen where the writ of the state government and the administration does not run, the Left party said, adding that it is time for the Central government to strongly intervene to immediately put an end to the violence.

“It must also begin serious efforts for a political settlement that restores peace and safeguards the rights of all ethnic communities in the state,” they added.

The situation in Manipur, which has been reeling from ethnic strife since May last year, has become even more volatile following protests and violence after the recovery of the bodies of women and children.

More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between the Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and the adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.