Ragging: An Ugly Truth

Ragging in colleges is still a reality despite it being declared a criminal offence

On March 7, 2009, senior students at the PSG College of Arts and Science so severely assaulted a junior that he might never be able to see again.. Akhil Dev was punched in the eyes and hit on the head with a steel chair and a frying pan. He was only 19 and was a fresher in the Business Management and Information Systems course of the college. Dev was allegedly beaten up after he refused to pay Rs 3000. There have also been other incidents where junior students were allegedly raped by their seniors in a college.

Cases of ragging usually go unreported although it is an ugly truth of college life in most institutes and universities. This is probably because of the fear of seniors. Victims of ragging usually either leave the institute or carry on as if nothing happened. In extreme cases, some of them even resort to suicide.

What Constitutes Ragging?

Something seemingly as innocuous as making a freshman clean your room qualifies as ragging. Ragging may be verbal, sexual or physical:

• Verbal: An unsolicited conversation between a senior and a junior where the former teases/harasses/humiliates the junior or if he/she forces the junior to answer (personally or socially) unacceptable questions causing the latter to feel compromised or traumatised.
• Physical: Any act that is enforced upon a junior that compromises his/her dignity. Any demand that leads to physical injury, health problems or loss of dignity like slapping, hitting with objects, etc is ragging.
• Sexual: Forcing a junior to strip, to perform acts of a sexual nature, non-consensual sex, and compromising the sexual dignity of the individual are severe instances of ragging.

It must be noted that of the reported cases of ragging, 62% are physical in nature, majority of which comprise of beating the fresher. Sexual ragging cases comprise of another 33% of which 13% cases not only comprise of sexual abuse, but also physical violence. In general, the sexual ragging cases comprise of asking the fresher to strip, dance naked, imitate pornographic postures, etc. The instances of verbal ragging being reported are low as they are milder than physical and sexual ragging cases and hence, go unreported.

Laws Against Ragging

The Delhi High Court in April 2010 passed an order which declares that if an educational institute fails to check instances of ragging, it amounts to negligence. "It has been held that failure to prevent ragging is to be construed as an act of negligence in maintaining discipline in educational institutions on the part of the management," said Justice GS Sistani.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to impose stringent laws related to ragging on campus. Anyone found guilty of ragging could be rusticated for 4 semesters, their admission to any other institute may be temporarily barred and it may also attract a fine of up to Rs 2.5 lakhs.

If you are a victim of ragging, call up the toll-free UGC helpline 1800-180-5522. The helpline is operative 24x7 and your message will be sent to the head of the institution within 15 minutes so that they could immediately take charge of the situation.

So know these important facts about ragging before you enter college or before you think of “having fun at the expense of your juniors”. Ragging is now being treated as a criminal offence in this country. And it should come as a relief to hundreds and thousands of students who can now enter their new campus without any intimidation. After all, college is all about fun.