anti ragging
Ragging in India is a damaging form of interaction of the seniors in college or school with the juniors or the newcomers or the first years. It is similar to but not same as hazing in the United States, it is not an initiation. It involves insults (simple or suggestive sexual, sarcastic and even physical), running errands for seniors, and many other complex activities. Highly reputed Indian colleges have a wistful history of ragging especially Medical colleges. It has become increasingly unpopular due to several complaints of serious injury to the victims and strict laws regarding ragging. Ragging is now defined as an act that violates or is perceived to violate an individual student's dignity.
History
Since Ancient times Indian learning institutions taught about mutual respect in a respectfull and peacefull manner such as Takshashila ,Nalanda,Vikramshila,Jagaddala,Puspagiri Mahavihara etc.But as the time went, it resulted in the introduction of canning (ragging)i.e ill psycological tendency of judging others by insulting ,inflicting pain and sometimes practicing mental and physical torture which results in physical and mental damage.Initially it started in english colleges and universities but slowly and steadily it spread and corrupted almost entire indian educational institutions. The excuse was to teach the social hierarchy in early career, and also learn other important values in life as if they were mature enough know anything about values and hierarchy. Many colleges such as AIIMS, Christian Medical College had an unpleasant history of ragging, with most of the alumni regarding the time of ragging as the best of their life which was in fact the worst.
Present State
The custom of canning (Ragging) was indeed poorly-thought out. A report from 2007 highlights 42 instances of physical injury, and reports on ten deaths purportedly the result of ragging:[1] Ragging has reportedly caused at least 30-31 deaths in the last 7 years. In the 2007 session, approximately 7 ragging deaths have been reported. In addition, a number of freshmen were severely traumatized to the extent that they were admitted to mental institutions. Ragging in India commonly involves serious abuses and clear violations of human rights. Often media reports and others unearth that it goes on, in many institutions, in the infamous Abu Ghraib style:[2] and on innocent victims.
In many colleges, like Birla Institute of Technology and Science and IITs, ragging has been strictly banned and is proving effective . However, this ban has not been the case elsewhere, as seen by the number of ragging cases still reported by the media. Ragging involves gross violations of basic human rights. The seniors are known to torture juniors and by this those seniors get some kind of sadistic pleasures.
Though ragging has ruined the lives of many, resistance against it has grown up only recently. Several Indian states have made legislatures banning ragging, and the Supreme Court of India has taken a strong stand to curb ragging. Ragging has been declared a criminal offence.
The Indian civil society has also started to mount resistance, only recently.
But in India, ragging is more infamous for its ubiquitous presence in the educational institutions. According to the observations by the Dr. Raghavan Committee, which has been constructed by the Union Human Resource Development ministry on the orders of the Supreme Court of India, the medical colleges are the worst affected in India.
However, the Anti-Ragging NGO, Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) has supported that ragging is also widely and dangerously prevalent in Engineering and other institutions, mainly in the hostels.
Mention by Eminent Persons
So many people believe that ragging is just a very small problem in India. This perception is because those who face most brutal form of ragging, never speak up generally.
The legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan in a media appearance said,"Ragging has happened with me too. I passed out my college in the 60s, and at that time also, ragging was existent in colleges, sometimes worse... I really can't tell you guys what kind of ragging I have been through. Please don't ask me."[3]
The management guru Arindam Chaudhary writes about his IIT Delhi friends "Well, their first months in IIT were traumatic to say the least. They would cry in front of me. They couldn’t take in the humiliation of ragging. The humiliation of being stripped totally naked and being made to run around the IIT Delhi campus... The engineering and medical colleges of India are the havens of the worst possible ragging in this country."[4]
Another Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal reveals that in the summer of 1990 he walked into his college and had mistakenly asked a senior to carry his luggage into the hostel. The actor was subsequently ragged for a long time and vowed never to rag his juniors in turn. Rampal is admittedly very much against ragging and considers it to be equal to a full-fledged crime.[5]
Sujit Saraf, a California-based filmmaker and playwright studied at the IIT-Delhi between 1987 and ’92. He reveals "we crawled on all fours and barked like dogs; we brought cigarettes and Campa Cola for our seniors; we cleaned their rooms; we dropped our trousers so they could measure our penises; we formed human trains — each car holding the penis of the car in front — and whistled our way through hostel corridors; we simulated orgies; stripped naked"[6]
Noted film-maker Imtiaz Ali has a similar experience, "In college, a lot of guys had stripped me naked during the ragging... At that time it was terrible....Craziest thing I've ever done – we've all walked naked...in those days ... it was part of mass ragging that everyone had to do" [7]
Prakash Rajpurohit, ranked 4th in IIT-JEE 2003 and later IAS second topper, ran away from IIT Delhi hostel hitting the headlines. In his complaint lodged with the police, Rajpurohit had said students were asked among other things to enact a honeymoon scene, strip and consume alcohol
Legislation
In 1997, the state of Tamil Nadu first passed laws related to ragging Subsequently, a major boost to anti-ragging efforts was given by a landmark judgement of the Supreme Court of India in May 2001,[9] in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Vishwa Jagriti Mission.
The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD), following a directive by the Supreme court, appointed a seven member panel headed by ex-CBI director Dr. R. K. Raghavan to recommend anti-ragging measures. The Raghavan Committee report,[10] submitted to the court in May 2007, includes a proposal to include ragging as a special section under the Indian Penal Code. The Supreme Court of India interim order[11] (based on the recommendations) dated May 16, 2007 makes it obligatory for academic institutions to file official First Information Reports with the police in any instance of a complaint of ragging. This would ensure that all cases would be formally investigated under criminal justice system, and not by the academic institutions own ad-hoc bodies.
The Indian Supreme Court has taken a strong stand to prevent ragging. In 2006, the court directed the H.R.D. Ministry of the Govt. of India to form a panel which will suggest guidelines to control ragging.[12]
The panel, headed by the former director of C.B.I. Dr. R.K.Raghavan, met victims, guardians and others across the country. The Raghavan committee has placed its recommendation to the Hon'ble Supreme Court, which has given its order on the issue.[11][13]
Welcoming the Supreme Court's recent judgment on ragging Dr. Raghavan, the former CBI director, who is the chairman, Monitoring Committee for the Prevention of Ragging, said, “there are finally signs that the recommendations to prevent ragging in colleges will be taken seriously.”[14]
Supreme Court in 2007 directed that all the higher educational institutions should include information about all the ragging incidents in their brochures/prospectus of admission
UGC Regulation On Curbing The Menace Of Ragging In Higher Educational Institutions, 2009
In 2009, in the wake of Aman Kachroo's death, University Grants Commission (UGC) passed UGC REGULATION ON CURBING THE MENACE OF RAGGING IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, 2009.[16] These regulation mandate every college responsibilities to curb the menace of ragging, including strict pre-emptive measures, like lodging freshers in a separate hostel, surprise raids especially at nights by the anti-ragging squad and submission of affidavits by all senior students and their parents taking oath not to indulge in ragging. The main features of the regulations are:
Responsibilities of Educational Institutions
1. Applicable to ALL higher educational institutions, imparting education beyond 12 years of schooling.
BEFORE AND DURING ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION :
2. Every public declaration, brochure of admission/instruction booklet or the prospectus to print these regulations in full.
3.Telephone numbers of the Anti-Ragging Helpline and all the important functionaries in the institution, members of the Anti-Ragging Committees and Anti-Ragging Squads etc. to be published in brochure of admission/instruction booklet or the prospectus.
4 Every student and his/her parents to file an affidavit avowing not to indulge in ragging.
5. The institution to prominently display posters detailing laws and punishment against ragging.
6. Anti-ragging squad to ensure vigil at odd hours during first few months at hostels, inside institution premises as well as privately commercially managed hostels.
AFTER ADMISSION:
7. Printed leaflet to be given to every fresher detailing addresses and telephone numbers of the Anti-Ragging Helpline, Wardens, Head of the institution, all members of the anti-ragging squads and committees, and relevant district and police authorities.
8. Identity of informants of ragging incidents to be fully protected.
9. Faculty members assigned to students to make surprise visits and to maintain a diary of his/her interaction with the freshers.
10. Freshers to be lodged, as far as may be, in a separate hostel block.
11. Head of the institution, at the end of each academic year, to send a letter to the parents/guardians of the students who are completing their first year in the institution informing them about these Regulations.
ANTI-RAGGING COMMITTEE and ANTI-RAGGING SQUAD
12. Anti-Ragging Committee to be nominated and headed by the Head of the institution, and consisting of representatives of civil and police administration, local media, Non Government Organizations involved in youth activities, representatives of faculty members, representatives of parents, representatives of students belonging to the freshers' category etc.
13. Duty of the Anti-Ragging Committee to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations
14 Anti-Ragging Squad to be nominated by the Head of the Institution for maintaining vigil, oversight and patrolling functions and shall remain mobile, alert and active at all times.
15. Anti-Ragging Squad to make surprise raids on hostels.
16. Discreet random surveys to be conducted amongst the freshers every fortnight during the first three months.
17. The Heads of institutions affiliated to a University or a constituent of the University to submit a weekly report on the status of compliance with Anti-Ragging measures and a monthly report on such status thereafter, to the Vice-Chancellor of the University.
18. The Vice Chancellor of each University to submit fortnightly reports, including those of the Monitoring Cell on Ragging in case of an affiliating university, to the State Level Monitoring Cell.
COMPLAINT OF RAGGING
19. First Information Report (FIR) to be filed within twenty four hours of receipt of such information or complaint of ragging, with the police and local authorities.
20. Head of the institution to forthwith report the incident of ragging to the District Level Anti-Ragging Committee and the Nodal officer.
21. institution shall also continue with its own enquiry and remedial action to be completed with-in seven days.
Responsibilities of University Grants Commission (UGC)
1) The Commission to verify that the institutions strictly comply with the requirement of getting the affidavits from the students and their parents/guardians as envisaged under these Regulations.
2) The Commission to make it mandatory for the institutions to incorporate in their prospectus, the anti-ragging directions of the Central Government or the State Level Monitoring Committee
3) The Commission to maintain an appropriate data base to be created out of affidavits, and such database to also function as a record of ragging complaints received, and the status of the action taken thereon.
4) The Commission shall make available the database to a non-governmental agency
5) The Commission to include a specific condition in the Utilization Certificate, in respect of any financial assistance or grants-in-aid to any institution, that the institution has complied with the anti-ragging measures.
6) The Commission to constitute an Inter-Council Committee to coordinate and monitor the anti-ragging measures in institutions across the country.
7) The Commission to institute an Anti-Ragging Cell within the Commission to provide secretarial support for collection of information and monitoring, and to coordinate with the State Level Monitoring Cell and University level Committees for effective implementation of anti-ragging measures
Use of Right To Information
Despite all these legislations, the implementation has been slow on the part of the educational institutions. Many anti-ragging activists have advocated use of right to information (RTI) by the freshers/ victims to ensure that the institutions follow the rules to curb ragging strictly.[17] For example, one of the strongest reasons for ragging to happen is that the raggers are dead sure that parents would never ever get to know their heinous acts. The affidavit filed by parents to the institution has the name, address and telephone numbers of the parents of the senior students. A fresher can file RTI applications, even without disclosing identity by using a friend's help and name, to get a copy of this affidavit, and then call/ write himself or make his parents talk to ragger’s parents to rein in him. Also, the college and the UGC can be made to follow the anti-ragging measures strictly by the use of RTI. Once freshers take courage and start doing that, it is a general feeling that ragging may drastically reduce in India, as every student will become a soldier in the fight against ragging. Sample RTI applications have also been posted by some of the anti-ragging websites to help students in that.
Anti-ragging movement
With the situation of ragging worsening yearly, there is emerging a spontaneous anti-ragging movement in India. Several voluntary organizations have emerged, who conduct drives for public awareness and arrange for support to victims.
Online groups like Coalition to Uproot Ragging from India (CURE), Stopragging, No Ragging Foundation became the major Anti Ragging groups on the Internet. Among them, the No Ragging Foundation has transformed into a complete NGO and got registered as Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) which is India's first registered Anti Ragging non profit organization (NGO).[18][19][20] These groups are working on issues related to ragging. Each of them is running anti ragging websites and online groups.
The Indian media has been playing a crucial role by exposing ragging incidents and the indifference of many concerned institutions towards curbing the act. The Supreme Court of India has directed, in its interim judgement, that action may be taken even against negligent institutions
Recent Ragging Incidents
2012
* College of Engineering and Management, Kolaghat
A first-year student of electronics and instrumentation at Kolaghat engineering college was allegedly assaulted by his seniors outside the college campus while the West Midnapore boy was on his way back home. On August 29, seniors with their faces covered slashed the boy's arm, neck and back and threatened him with dire consequences if he ever returned to the college. His parents lodged a complaint with the college director Naredra Nath Jana and Kolaghat police on Monday.
This isn't the first time that Subhro Samanta, a bright student from Daspur resident, has met with such fate.
"My son often used to complain of being assaulted and tortured by seniors. We told him that it was a passing phase and urged him to concentrate on his studies," Subhro's father Tapas Samanta said. Jana has ordered a probe into the attack.[21]
Ragging Deaths
2010
* Nagedra AV, 25, was found dead in Chandigarh's prestigious Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research on 19 April. The doctor had joined this post-graduate institution just two months ago. The police said he jumped to death from the hostel building, his father said he had been pushed. His father said a day ago he had said he was finding it difficult to continue there due to ragging.[22] * Sinmoi Debroy, 21, was found hanging from the ceiling fan, dead, in his hostel room in Chennai on 4 April. It was a private hostel shared by students of various colleges. Most of the 42 SMSes in the Assamese engineering student's mobile phone were threats and abuses from seniors, who also demanded money.[23] * Ajub Ajith, 19, hanged himself to death from the ceiling fan in his house in Thiruvananathapuram on 31 March. He was a student of at the Sarabhai Institute of Science and Technology. He had told his mother that he was being ragged badly, but prevented her from complaining to the principal as, he said, that would make matters worse for him.[24][25] * Satwinder Kumar, 28, ended his life on 3 March. He was a student of the Advanced Training Institute, Mumbai. In his suicide note he named seven seniors who had ragged him so much that he left for home for Kurukshetra rather than take mid-term exams. Before he could reach home, he committed suicide by throwing himself before a goods train in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district.[26] * Premlatha, 22, committed suicide by consuming sulphuric acid in the chemistry lab of the B.S.Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College on 5 February. Her brother singled out one senior, Yogesh, 22, a fourth year student, as the person ragging her the most.[27] * Gaurav Sadanand Raut, 22, strangulated himself to death on 9 February in his hostel room in Nashik's Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj Medical College. His father named his roommates Mandhar Monde and Anil Kavade as the culprits.[28] Although the police detained four students, the local NCP MLA, Vasant Pawar, also the general secretary of the college body, denied that the student had been ragged.[29]
2009
* Anusha Hyderabad November 5 [30] * Ayan Adak Kolkata 9 October 2009 [31] * On 7 March, Aman Kachroo, 19, a first year student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, Kangra, HP, India, had repeatedly complained to his parents about the brutal ragging that took place on the Medical College campus — often by completely drunk third-year students. On Friday night and Saturday morning (March 6–7, 2009), the boy was beaten so badly that he died of brain haemorrhage.[32]
2008
* In September–December, 2008, a student of Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad was ragged by 3 of his seniors, namely, Ravi Shankar, a resident of Vadodara; Naveen Tomar, from Hisar; and Ajmer resident P C Gupta.[33] The victim (name withheld) complained that three fellow management students at IMT-Ghaziabad forced him to undress and threw lit matchsticks at his private parts in the campus on September 27. The Ghaziabad police initially refused to register his complaint, but finally lodged a case on Thursday (December 4) after intervention from the Ghaziabad SSP.
2007
* On 18 September Durgesh Shukla hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his hostel room in Pioneer College, Bhopal. He blamed seniors in his suicide note.[34] * On 8 August Manjot Singh, an MBBS student, committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance. He did so at his residence in Chandigarh, due to ragging in his hostel at the Government Medical College, Chandigarh.[35] * On 20 September Chetan Raj, 18, committed suicide in Mysore. His body was found hanging from the roof of his lodge room. He had already complained to his parents that he was being ragged in his college.[36]
2006
* In November S. P. Manoj committed suicide in his hostel room at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology, Hyderabad.[37] * On 5 November Azad Nair, 22, a cadet at the Officer's Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai. He had hanged himself from the fan of his room. Prior to his suicide he had told his brother Soumendu over telephone that he was being ragged and humiliated at the OTA and he had pleaded to his father Padmanabhan Nair to rescue him from the OTA.[38] * Ashoke Chaudhury
2005
* On 14 December C Abraham, a first year engineering student, hanged himself to death at his residence in Hyderabad. In his suicide note, he mentioned that he was not interested in studies. His parents suspected his suicide to be a result of ragging.[39] * On 5 December Sridhar, 18, hanged himself to the ceiling fan in his hostel room in Chennai. In the English press, only one newspaper in Mumbai reported the incident.[40] * In July Kamlesh Sarkar, 19, committed suicide in a private hotel management institute in Kalyani, Nadia district, West Bengal. The police filed an unnatural death case and not one of ragging.[41]
2004
* On 19 December Mohan Karthik Tripathy,19, hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his hostel room at the SKR Engineering College in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu. His written complaint about ragging to the college authorities had gone unheeded. He had been forced to bathe in his own urine.[42] * In June, Sushil Kumar Pandey, 18, hanged himself to death after the humiliation of being paraded naked by his seniors at the Madan Mohan Malviya Engineering College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.[43] * Aakriti Dhar * Ehsan Saba
2002
* In September Anup Kumar, 19, committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence in Kanpur. In his suicide note, Anup said that he was going through mental agony due to the sexual harassment by second-year students of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow, in the name of ragging.[44]
1996
* Pon Navarasu was murdered by senior student John David. David, a second year medical student, brutally murdered Navarasu, a first year MBBS student of Muthaiah Medical College, Annamalai University, Chidambaram and son of former Madras University vice-chancellor P K Ponnusamy, during a ragging session in his (John David's) hostel room on the night of November 6, 1996.
1984
* On the night of September 13/14, 1984, TK Chidambaram Raju Iyer, 22 years old, was killed by his seniors at IMT, Ghaziabad. He was ragged by 4 senior students (Ashok Kapadia, Ajay Batra, Sujit Gopal, and Rajnish Jain), who remain free to this day. Also, no action was taken against the Director of the institute or the warden of the hostel.
Organizations
* Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE) * Society Against Violence in Education