Ragging has emerged as a serious issue over the past few years, with cases of students’ suicides being reported across the media. Is it a menace we should tackle head-on? What can be done to ensure that ragging is uprooted from campus life? Team Sakaal Times gets various perspectives from across the board on the problem

Anil Sahasrabuddhe,

Director, College of Engineering Pune

Taking into account the threat it could pose to the life and career of any student, there should be a strong deterrence against any form of ragging.

We rigidly follow the UGC guidelines on ragging to ensure that students do not become victims of this menace. In fact, a few students, who were found to be indulging in ragging their juniors, were expelled from the hostels. Regular surveillance is carried out at our hostels to keep a check on ragging activities. Importantly, I do not accept the view that mild forms of ragging with the purpose of having mere fun with freshers should be allowed. Because, most of the times, it degrades to the level of harassment or torture for the juniors. Ragging is a menace and it should be dealt with strictly.

Dr Uttam Bhoite

Executive Director,  Bharati Vidyapeeth

We follow all the guidelines laid by UGC in true letter and spirit, including getting the mandatory affidavit filled from student that he/ she has knowledge about the regulation that prohibits and punishes all acts of ragging. As a result, we have reported zero cases of ragging so far. Instructions have been issued to all our rectors about keeping a close vigil on hostelite students with the view to prevent them from indulging in any form of ragging. Also, anti-ragging posters have been put up at conspicuous places in our campus to spread awareness on the ill-effects of ragging. It is mostly the marginal group of students, who have lost their focus on studies, that tend to indulge in ragging freshers and we keep a special watch on them.

Dr R K Jain, Principal,

DY Patil College of Engineering

In my last 3 years as the principal of the institute, there have been no reports of ragging. We follow a strict monitoring over the students, especially those who are hostelites. We take a written undertaking from the senior students that no ragging of the new students will be encouraged and if caught, the act will claim severe punishment. There is even a strict message circulated by us stating that no seniors should be meeting any juniors personally in the first 6 months. There is a ragging control committee consisting of the senior students, senior teachers, principal and the registrar which addresses the problems of the first semester students. Also, between 6 and 9 pm, at least 2 faculties do the rounds in the hostel campus.

Dr Hemant Chandorkar,

Psychiatrist

I too was ragged three times during my college days, but I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the meaning of ragging has been often misunderstood these days. Originally, ragging is meant to be an interactive and introductory session organised by the senior students of the college for the newcomers. In my times, ragging was a question-answer session and nothing beyond that. However, today, the original motive of ragging has changed and it now borders on life-threatening activities, which sometimes even force the freshers to commit suicide. This shouldn’t be the case.

According to me, it’s predominantly the North-Indian culture that has spread everywhere. I would advise the newcomers not to fear of all these things. Most of the times, the seniors only verbally threaten and hardly act on it. Remain calm and quiet. In case you’re being subjected to any extreme form of ragging, immediately but coolly complaint to the concerned authority. With the increasing number of ragging cases reported in the recent past, the college and hostel managements have also become strict and are taking serious action against the culprits. Freshers would also do well to show patience and alertness, as the surroundings are new to them.

Dr Arun Jamkar,

Dean, B J Medical college

There was a case of ragging 3 years ago. In such cases, we hand over the offender to police and law, however, they are of no aid. The culprits are granted bail and hence such ragging incidents never cease. This menace can only be controlled with the government taking stricter action on this ground and enforcing anti-ragging laws, so that such cases are not repeated in the future. We made it compulsory for all new admissions to be put up in the college hostel, so that we can monitor their activities round the clock. The faculties and non-teaching staffs keep a watch over them in the campus, so there hardly lies any fine scope of ragging.

Harsh Agarwal,

Coordinator, Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE)

There is a need to sensitise students as well as the general public about all the possible ill-effects of  ragging. Students should be made aware about why ragging is an evil. The popular argument — that ragging is a tool to build a rapport between the seniors and the juniors or that it ‘helps in the personality development of freshers’ — is totally illogical and absurd. Over 150 students have lost their lives during the last seven years due to ragging. Is this not enough? In the first place, what is the need of ragging freshers, and subjecting them to trauma? Is it a just basis for building long-term friendships? The seniors can arrange formal get-togethers for freshers, so that both the sides can have  fun and it can pave the way for camaraderie. Also, a weekly/fortnightly anonymous survey of  freshers’ batch should be conducted by the college authorities to help silent victims of ragging come forward. It is the collective responsibility of the government, colleges, parents and most importantly, students to uproot the menace of ragging from the field of education.

Anuradha Bhoite

Ex-rector and professor of sociology at the University of Pune

Freshers should come forward defiantly if they come across any form of ragging, even if it’s mild in nature. And the college authorities should take due cognisance of such complaints and invoke stern action against culprits without any hesitation. It would act as a deterrent against the menace of ragging. Also, the college authorities should not put together both juniors and seniors in the same hostel so as to avoid ragging incidences. Ragging stems from a kind of urge amongst young student to show off their power. Such tendencies can be tamed properly by effective communication between teachers and students.  

(With inputs by Prasad Joshi, Supriya Shelar, Priyanka Deshpande, Poulami Chakraborty and Komal Sagare)

Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999

- This is an Act to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in the State of Maharashtra

- The Act defines “Ragging” as “ragging” means display of disorderly conduct, doing of any act which causes or is likely to cause physical psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to a student in any educational institution and includes

- (i) teasing, abusing, threatening or playing practical jokes on, or causing hurt to, such student; or

- (ii) asking a student to do any act or perform something which such student will not, in the ordinary course, willingly, do.” (Section 2 (3)

- The Act prescribes for a prison term that can be extended up to two years and a fine up to Rs 10,000 for whoever directly or indirectly commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging within or outside any education institution (Section 4) besides dismissal of the student convicted under section 4 for a period of five years. Such student will not get admission in any other education institute.

- The Act also says that “If the head of the educational institution fails or neglects to take action in the manner specified in section 6 when a complaint of ragging is made, such person shall be deemed to have abetted the offence of ragging arid shall, on conviction, be punished as provided for in section 4. (Section 6)

Entertain it only if you enjoy it

Aparna Venkatraman

MBA student

Ragging is a social menace and a threat to human life. I don’t understand what fun could possibly come out of ragging? It can not be justified in any form. It could amount to mental trauma for the student who has been ragged. People should not, however, blame  movies like 3 Idiots and Munnabhai MBBS  for the suicides of students — the movies didn’t glorify ragging, but just represented the reality.

Siddharth Iyengar

Student, Integrated MS, IISER

I never had fear in my mind before coming to stay at a hostel in Pune from Bangalore, though I faced ragging in my initial days in the college. I shared this experience with all my classmates, so ragging didn’t affect me much. I would like to advise those who’ve faced such experiences to share them with your friends or parents and be confident about yourself and concentrate on your studies.

Harshada Nalawade Student, Modern College I think ragging is a curse on college life. Making a fellow student go through a hellish experience for one's own pleasure is horrible. Ragging can be horrendous enough to make the victim so depressed that he/she could end up taking their own life to stop the torture. I also think that movies like 3 Idiots and  Munnabhai MBBS have glorified the concept of ragging. College students pick up the concept thinking that this act will make them popular and establish their rule over other innocent fellow students.

Swapnil Shelar

Student, Indira Institute of Mass Communication

Ragging has been misunderstood by the young generation. It’s just an ice-breaker. It’s great fun, if done in the right spirit. According to the seniors, ragging is a way to make the juniors smarter. But sometimes, this process goes beyond the limits. So students should keep this in mind and see to it that it does not turn ugly .

Chaitanya Mundle

TE, Mechanical, Maratha Mitra Mandal College of Engineering

Ragging is meant to break the ice between the freshers and the seniors, but over the years it has turned ugly. I think, if ragging is in the form of healthy banter, then enjoy it but if it turns out to be nasty, then one should not take it lying down. Similarly, it will not be enough to make laws against ragging. The government should severely punish  students who rag their juniors.

Chetan Kalkar

Student, IBM

I look at ragging with a different perspective. If taken in a positive spirit, it can be helpful. Rather than making fun of the juniors, have a mock run in the class and ask each junior student to say a few things in front of everyone. This could increase their confidence level and help in reducing their stage fear as well. Ask them to prepare some demos in set time and present it in front of everyone. This will increase their efficiency to work in crunch situations.

Dipti Dubey

Student, Indira Institute of Mass Communication

Ragging as an interactive session or a get-together between seniors and juniors can be positive.

Vaidehi Marathe

Student, Indira Institute of Mass Communication

Some healthy forms of ragging could be - Making juniors attend attend lectures compulsorily, making them prepare their notes or making them do any group activity and so on.

Anubhav Sharma

Student, Indira Institute of Mass Communication

Ragging can be done in a positive way. The seniors can ask their juniors for their names, what they like and what they don't, their hobbies and so on. They can also ask them to sing or dance or mimic someone just for fun.

Bhushan Tunge

Working professionalFor notorious students, ragging has always meant fun. But for students entering the new world of college, ragging is becoming a haunting demon they have to fight. So junior students should be remember that they don’t carry on the same legacy when they become seniors.