Ragging Delhi University
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RAGGING HAS been banned
by the government. Punishment is supposed to be meted out to erring students
who indulge in this so-called pastime on the pretext of accepting newcomers
into their fold. However, the evil of ragging continues and the authorities
appear to be helpless to take action because the culprits usually hail
from certain strata of society which believe that they are a law unto themselves.
The problem is normally noticed in engineering and medical colleges and
polytechnics. The worst part is that witnesses are hard to come by because
those who are directly involved in the crime are more powerful than those
who try to enforce discipline.
When fachchas, as the
freshly enrolled students are known as, step into the Delhi University
campus on Wednesday, the death of Amann Kachroo at a medical college in
Himachal Pradesh last year would be weighing on their minds.
For, Kachroo (19), a first-year
MBBS student at the Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Himachal
Pradesh's Tanda, died after he was allegedly tortured by senior students
in the name of ragging.
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Aware of the fear of
ragging in the minds of newly enrolled students, DU authorities have assured
them that they have nothing to fear as no stone has been left unturned
to curb the menace this year.
On Wednesday, fachchas
will walk into a more secure campus as the university has made provision
for police patrolling on North and South campuses in addition to the pickets
positioned outside colleges every year. |
| "There will be patrolling
on both North and South campuses and we are expecting the police to deploy
about 200 of their personnel on North Campus alone. That apart, colleges
have been asked to keep sealed complaint boxes on their premises and assign
someone the responsibility to look into the complaints regularly," DU proctor
Gurmeet Singh said.
"Policemen in plainclothes
will also travel in buses plying on the North Campus to ensure that none
of the freshers, especially female students, are harassed on their first
day," Singh added.
Apart from policemen,
freshers will, in all probability, also encounter several posters publicising
helpline numbers and contact details of senior police officers.
If none of the above helps,
then the new rule of extracting an undertaking from all students - in line
with UGC norms - would surely act as a strong deterrent, the authorities
feel.
Since last year, DU colleges
have adopted the rule of having freshers submit a written undertaking saying
that they are aware of ragging guidelines and will report any such incident.
Colleges have already
procured the affidavit from freshers at the time of admission.
Senior students will sign
theirs once they re-join college.
Apart from following university
instructions, the colleges on their part are hoping to tackle ragging through
counselling sessions and publicising contact numbers of the anti- ragging
committee and squad members.
Miranda House and Ramjas
College have gone a step further and prepared an anti- ragging booklet
that will be handed to first- year students on Wednesday.
"The booklet will apprise
students of the rules against ragging and what they should do if they think
they're being ragged. Awareness is the only way we can fight this menace,"
Pratibha Jolly, principal of Miranda House, said.
"The strict vigil and
a host of measures taken have obviously instilled confidence among the
freshers.
"Honestly, I am not at
all afraid. I think enough is being done by the authorities and that is
quite reassuring," Sweta Agarwal, a first-year Economics (Honours) student,
said.
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Introduction
Ragging in Indian colleges
is still a brutal reality despite all the claims and rules made by the
Indian Government. Every year when kids pass out from schools, they look
forward to their college life. A time when they are stepping into adulthood,
learning to be responisble citizens, and enjoying the freedom to take their
own decisions.
After the hectic and tensed
process of admissions, students everywhere dream for a perfect way to start
college life. A place where they step out of the boundaries of school,
and get over their inhibitions in order to expand their social circle.
Seniors think it's Fun..!
On the other end, senior
students plan to get friendly with freshers aka "fuchas" and come up with
new ideas to rag them. Socialising with seniors is the biggest fear in
the mind of freshers, mainly because of the numerous horrific tales of
ragging they have heard in the past.
Many seniors feel that
ragging is just an informal way to break the ice between them and the new
batch. But they overlook the negative impacts caused by it. Ragging in
India's college hostels takes the form of sexual abuse causing physical
and mental torture to the juniors. On the other hand, senior students have
glorified ragging as a neccesary tool to teach juniors how to respect their
seniors, and prepare for the hard grind that lies ahead of them.
Different forms of ragging-
End result is same!
Ragging is done in many
forms, starting with orders to dance or sing, playing truth or dare, to
the extent of performing tasks like proposing to a girl or performing explicit
sexual acts. In hostels, ragging takes on a harsh and humiliating form
causing physical and mental pain. For instance, in the popular Bollywood
movie 3 Idiots, we could get a glimpse of the level of ragging done
by hostellers. The type and level of ragging is almost the same for boys
and girls staying in hostels. At times, students do not even complain about
their suffering due to the fear of running into more trouble.
College authorities always
claim that they have strictly banned ragging in campuses, and if any case
happens, freshers can always complain to the Dean or to the faculty. Government
has also passed strict laws against practising any form of ragging. But
all that is in vain, ragging is very much in existence in India.
Ragging does not teach
freshers to be bold or smart, and is not helpful to build a strong character.
In the past, suicide cases due to ragging have been reported from many
Indian cities.The mental trauma of sexual abuse in the name of ragging
drives the students to remain socially aloof. We still have a long way
to go before the menace of ragging in India stops completely.
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