AIIMS Rajkot Student Found Dead, 5 Arrested After 17-Page Suicide Note Names Classmates

Five final-year MBBS students of AIIMS Rajkot were arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of their classmate Ratan Meghwal, who died near railway tracks on March 14. A 17-page note accused them of harassment and assault. Despite earlier warning signs, no case was filed then. The court has allowed the accused to appear for exams under custody.

Five final-year MBBS students from All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rajkot, Gujarat, have been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of their classmate, 26-year-old Ratan Kumar Meghwal. The arrests were made after a complaint by the victim’s father at Gandhigram police station in Rajkot. Police said the accused have been sent to judicial custody. The case has been registered under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment to suicide, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, according to a report by Times of India.

Victim died near railway tracks

According to police, Ratan died in the early hours of March 14 after coming under a train near Ghanteshwar on Jamnagar Road in Rajkot. Railway police recovered his belongings, including a mobile phone, a tablet, and a notebook.

A 17-page note found in the notebook is a key part of the investigation. Written in both Hindi and English, it reportedly accuses several fellow students of physical assault and mental harassment since January. The note also refers to a specific incident on January 27 and asks authorities to treat it as a 'dying declaration', the TOI report added.

Father alleges continuous harassment

The complaint was filed by Ratan’s father, Mohanlal Meghwal, who is from a village in Rajasthan. He claimed that his son had been under constant stress due to harassment by the accused students.

Based on the complaint, police arrested Pranav Paliwal, Asmit Sharma, Ayush Yadav, Nirvighnam Noor and Yuvraj Chaudhary. Officials said three of the accused are from Rajasthan, one from Haryana and one from Bharuch in Gujarat.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Chintan Patel from the SC/ST Cell is leading the investigation. He confirmed that statements of the accused are being recorded.

Earlier suicide attempt raised concerns

Police sources revealed that this was not the first time Ratan had tried to harm himself. In January, he had allegedly attempted suicide near railway tracks after leaving the AIIMS hostel. At that time, he was rescued and taken back home by his family. In that earlier note too, he had reportedly named the same students. However, no police case was registered then because the family did not file a formal complaint.

After recovering, Ratan returned to Rajkot to appear for his final-year MBBS exams. But instead of going to the hostel, he went towards the railway tracks, where he allegedly ended his life.

Court allows accused to write exams

All five accused students appeared before a magistrate and requested permission to sit for their final-year MBBS examinations, which began on Monday. According to sources, the court allowed their request. They will be permitted to write their exams while remaining in police custody.

Police said they are carefully examining the suicide note and other evidence to understand the full sequence of events. The role of each accused is being investigated in detail.

(Suicide is never a solution. Seek help from mental-health professionals. If you ever experience such thoughts, please call the ‘DISHA’ helpline. Toll-free helpline numbers: 1056, 0471-2552056)