Immediately after the news reached us, we had contacted family members of Soumya Roy, a victim of alleged ragging in Bishnupur, West Bengal.
After fixing up an appointment with them a 3 member team from our West Bengal unit visited them at their relative's house near Kolkata. They informed us that they are receiving phones from Soumya's friends that his friends at the hostel are being threatened to speak against the victim.
Soumya's exams has been commenced with the viva-voce, but he is in no condition to appear in the examination. They also informed that they have been sent an SMS by the college authority to produce him before the anti-ragging committee of the college.
Our team was told that in reality there is no fixed anti ragging committee in the college and one is only set up when a complain is lodged (usually juniors are threatened not to lodge one) . We were informed by them that freshers are totally frustrated with the role of these anti-ragging commitees, set up by their colleege authority.
Our team assured them with maximum possible support to their struggle. Members also provided them with some necessary information and tried to console the victim. They also tried to encourage him so that he may try not to lose a year. Everyone felt the need to approach the West Bengal University of Technology for their kind intervention. The No Ragging Foundation is ready to request the university for kindly arranging alternative examination for the victim, besides that by the family, if it is contacted for this by his guardians.
The No Ragging Foundation, Central Committee
Visit us at - www.no2ragging.org
Monday, May 28, 2007
No Ragging Foundation meets another victim & his family
Ragging row: Students suspended
Statesman News Service BANKURA, May 26: Mallabhum Institute of Technology, a private engineering college in Bishnupur which has been embroiled in a ragging controversy of late, suspended four third-year students on charges of flouting discipline.
A first-year student of the college recently alleged that he had been ragged by some senior students. Local police are investigating the case.
No third year student, however, has been punished in relation with the alleged incident of ragging. The suspended third-year students are Rahul Singh of electrical department, Prasenjit Mondal of information technology department, Kamalesh Chatterjee of electronics department and Abhijeet Chakraborty of electrical department. They have been suspended on charges of rioting with fellows students and juniors twice during the college sessions in April and May this year.
A notice was issued last evening stating that all of the suspended students would have to vacate the college hostel. They, however, would be allowed to appear for examinations. Rahul, however, would not be allowed to attend classes for the time being. Dr SK Roy, principal of Mallabhum Institute of Technology, told The Statesman: “The inquiry committee found them guilty of creating chaos in the college. So they have been suspended for a period of six months.” He, however, made it clear that the students were not involved in the alleged ragging of the first-year student, Soumya Roy. Soumya has been brought home by his father, Mr Shyamalendu Roy, and he is now at his New Barrackpore residence.
Soumya had reportedly sent an SOS to his father, stating that some of his seniors had been compelling him to inhale narcotics like marijuana and brown sugar for four consecutive days since 19 May. His father lodged an FIR with Bishnupur PS. The college also has set up a six-member fact-finding committee. Dr Roy said: “The committee will table a report and only after that can we ascertain whether the student had actually been ragged.”
Students fined Rs 10,000 for ragging
Bhopal, May 26: On the initiative of the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC), the Indore-based Devi Ahilyabai University's School of Legal Studies has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on seven students for ragging and brutally beating up a junior student, Atrabhavan Singh.Official sources said the MPHRC took cognizance of the matter and directed the university administration to take strict action against the accused students.The university's disciplinary committee had found that the students guilty during investigation in a recent incident of ragging and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on them.The university had also ordered that guilty students, who were put up in hostel, be expelled. Besides, a warning was issued that strict punishment would be taken if anybody repeated such behaviour.Directions had been issued to prevent guilty students from taking examinations if the fine was not deposited within prescribed time limit.
--- UNI
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Ragging fracas: Six-member panel set up - The Statesman
Statesman News Service BANKURA, May 25: The Mallabhum Institute of Technology in Bishnupur yesterday set up a six-member anti-ragging committee, headed by Mr Dilip Chakraborty, a lecturer with the institution, amid protests by the students’ union which claimed charges of ragging brought against some senior students by a first-year student, Soumya Roy, were fabricated. Family members of Soumya have already lodged an FIR with the Bishnupur PS and has sought the SDO’s intervention into the matter.
Soumya, a first-year student, was allegedly ragged by some senior students. The victim’s father, a businessman of New Barrackpore, reached the college last morning. Mr Roy alleged that a section of senior students had compelled his son to inhale marijuana, brown sugar and hashish for four days beginning 19 May. Police interrogated the senior students accused in the case last evening. The investigating officer of the Bishnupur PS, Mr Bamapada Mukherjee, said: “We have not found any specific evidence which proves that the boy was compelled. Some boys, however, confessed to the habit of drinking and smoking ganja.”
Fresher force-fed drugs as ragging ritual - The Statesman
Statesman News Service
BISHNUPUR, May 24: A first year engineering student with a private engineering college here has allegedly been forced to consume narcotics like marijuana, brown sugar and hashish over the past four days. The father of the student rushed to Bishnupur from New Barrackpore today to rescue him. He has lodged a complaint with the Bishnupur PS and also sought intervention from the local SDO here. Mr Shyamalendu Roy, a businessman in New Barrackpore, received a distress call by the classmate of his son last night stating that senior students had confined Soumya Roy and had been compelling him to consume narcotics.
“I was confused and immediately contacted my son on his cellphone. I could understand that he was in an intoxicated state,” he said. “I tried to contact the authorities but unfortunately there was no one present to attend my call either at the office or the hostel.” Soumya is a first year student of electronics engineering with the privately run Mallabhum Institute of Technology here. Soumya said: “A few of my seniors forced me to consume the narcotics though I tried to resist them. I took the matter to the hostel authorities to no avail.” “They would enter my room after study hours every evening and take me away to a senior student’s room,” Soumya said. “I would then be forced to consume contraband narcotics. This continued for four consecutive days.”
Mr Roy lodged a complaint with the Bishnupur PS today and also took the matter to the SDO, Bishnupur, Mr Ajay Kumar Ghosh. Mr Ghosh has issued a notice to the engineering college authority asking them to provide an explanation at the earliest. “We shall go by the strictures prescribed by the Supreme Court of India to help preventing ragging in the colleges and other educational institutions,” he said. The college authority initially expressed surprise to the charges. Mr SK Roy, principal of the college, said: “The student and his guardian has moved to the police and the administration and they didn’t inform us. We have got no specific idea about the charges. The college is expecting fresh students and the student who has allegedly been ragged is here since one year and is about to be promoted to second year now. It is quite unusual that such students are still being ragged by their seniors in the college.” “I am surprised that the college authority remained quite indifferent despite bringing the matter into their notice,” Mr Roy said.
The IC, Bishnupur, Mr Bamapada Mukherjee, said: “Besides the charges of ragging, we are worried that the students’ charges has hinted trafficking of drugs in Bishnupur. We are investigating the case.” No one has been arrested.
Friday, May 25, 2007
No Ragging Foundation stands in support to ragging victim
The No Ragging Foundation was requested on the day before yesterday by the family members of Saroj Kanti Das (a recent victim of ragging at Suri, West Bengal who had to flee from his hostel to escape from alleged severe ragging) for assistance regarding his counselling & related treatment to help him cope with the immense mental trauma.
The No Ragging Foundation's Kolkata cell immediately contacted a noted psychiatrist, Dr. G. Banerjee and on his advice, Saroj was taken by the No Ragging Foundation to a city medical college. He was found to be suffering from Post-traumatic stress and necessary treatment was adviced by the experts.
The elder brother of the victim told the No Ragging Foundation that they want the movement against ragging to be successful so that thousands of such innocent brothers , known or unkown, do not have to face this kind of ordeal.
The No Ragging Foundation vowed to try its best to help the victim and others like him in their movements against ragging.
Co-ordinator,
No Ragging Foundation, India.
www.no2ragging.org
nrf@no2ragging.org
Freshers welcomed - It may have been a problem in the past, but today colleges - The Telegraph
Nor did Junaid Khan (again, not his real name), a former student of Beldih Church School, Jamshedpur, who was on a high after getting into a good college in Pune. What followed was a nightmare. On cold winter nights, he and other freshers would be taken to the nearby hills and stripped by the seniors.
If he’s still there, it’s because friends like Arun stood by him. We do not know if he lodged an FIR, as he refuses to speak. We do not know if he has taken note of the order passed by Supreme Court, which says colleges must lodge FIRs against cases of ragging.
But what’s common between Anindita and Junaid is both of them were ragged in colleges outside the state. In Jharkhand, students and most college authorities claim the menace hardly exists and they take great pride in the matter. “Ragging is under control in Jharkhand,” said the national vice-president of the Indian Medical Association, Ajay Singh.
He admitted there was a time when even RIMS had to face sine die due to this malice, but that’s a thing of the past. Awareness level has risen so much, seniors are afraid to speak to their juniors, he said. Amit, a student at Birsa Institute of Technology (BIT), Sindri, agrees. “Forget ragging, we are scared to even speak to the freshers,” he says. Most seniors have realised the implications of being reported against.
At BIT, Sindri, seven students were recently fined Rs 1,000 each for having entered the hostel for freshers without permission. G.Kumar, in charge of placements there, said if a se
nior is caught ragging, he would be debarred from placement.Prateek Katariya, final-year student at Indian Institute of Mines University (ISMU), Dhanbad, said they are fined Rs 3,000 if they loiter near the freshers. College authorities said they keep strict vigilance at their hostels. As Shivali Singh, a student from Jamshedpur, doing a fashion designing course in Calcutta, says: “In hostels students still suffer.”
Partly because there are not too many such residential colleges, the state has been free of the problem to an extent. And those colleges that have hostels, claim to take full precautions to ensure it doesn’t happen. “Ragging is not easy on the BIT-Mesra campus. Hostel wardens, superintendents and deans keep a watch on the hostels,” said A.K.Jha, deputy registrar BIT-Mesra.
One tried reminding them how a few years ago a first-year student at XLRI had complained of harassment at the hostel. For some time the National Institute of Technology and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College had been boiling grounds, too.
“It was terrible those days. Now ragging has come down drastically as colleges keep a check,” said Meera Pillai, a third-year student at MGM Medical College. S.S.Razi, principal Jamshedpur Worker’s College, too, said except for occasional reports of eve-teasing, he hasn’t really been reported cases of ragging.
In March 2000, “stop ragging campaign” by Delhi-based People’s Action, Change and Enforcement (SPACE) had sent a letter to the then director of ISMU, professor S.N. Mukherjee, saying they had a complaint from a fresher that juniors were ragged.
Students and authorities deny it. “It is nonsense. Parents can send their children here fearlessly,” said Raghav Mathur, a final-year student at ISMU. “There is a faculty body watching the hostels,” said dean of students welfare, professor P. S. Gupta. In fact, by 10 pm, the gates are locked and the freshers all in — in their safe havens.
NILANJANA GHOSH CHOUDHARY, RESHAM MUKHERJEE & ANUPAM SHESHANK
Homecoming for Thampu at St Stephen’s College - Delhi Newsline
Pallavi Singh
New Delhi, May 21: Soft-spoken and polite: this is how one would describe Reverand Valson Thampu, who took over as Officer on Special Duty at Delhi University's St Stephen's College on Monday.
For a heady first day in office that saw a string of visitors and subsequent bouquets dropping in, Thampu met all the adulation calmly. And though his plans for the college are not to be divulged yet, one can smell a whiff of idealism when he talks.
"The founders wanted it to be a residential college so that students from all sections of society could come and stay together and oneness of India could be experienced... I sincerely believe my classroom is India," he said.
It was a homecoming for Thampu, who is back in the college after a gap of almost four years. He first joined St Stephen's College in 1971 as a post-graduate student of English from Mabelikara district in Kerala. By the time he passed out, he had decided to stay on. He joined the college's English Department in 1973 as a teacher and continued for the next 30 years.
"When I came here, I was totally awe-inspired. I could sense an aura of greatness. Stephen's brought out the best in me," he reminisced.
But while times were sublime when he was a student, he finds the young generation of today a "continuation of life". "I don't believe in radical discontinuities. Life constantly flows. While you may meet brazenness in youngsters, you also meet courtesy in young people. In fact, several young people have written to me about voluntary reduction in their pocket money," he said.
Thampu retired from the college's English Department in 2003 and has since traversed places and positions, organising marches for communal harmony, penning essays on Christianity and serving as member at National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, among other things. But the feeling of being back at Stephen's is great, he said. "It gives me an opportunity to do something for the college. The purpose of education is to integrate an individual with society... I hope to gradually transfer my vision to my colleagues and students," he said.
And for those who may not make it to the college this year, Thampu has words of wisdom: "It's not important where you are but who you are. Trust me, you can grow wherever you are."
ValsonspeakON QUOTA: “St Stephen’s College is not averse to the idea of introducing voluntary OBC quota. Nothing prevents prospective students from applying to St Stephen’s. As of today, we do not have OBC quota. The issue is still being debated. Let the Supreme Court make up its mind on it. Under Article 15(5) of the Indian Constitution though, minority institutions, both aided and unaided, are exempted from the quota.”
ON CENTRALISED FORM ROW: “The matter of centralised forms should be put to rest now that the college has not accepted the forms for years. This matter was discussed ad nauseum in Supreme Court in the 1990s. Unlike most colleges, Stephen’s has a national character. It gets students from all parts of India.”
ON RAGGING: “Ragging was started by children of aristocracy who came to college to have a good time. Why are we blindly imitating them? It shows our cultural poverty.”
Tackling the ragging menace - Asian Tribune
Mon, 2007-05-21 02:14
By Allabaksh - Syndicate Features
Bright and excited young students just out of school can hardly wait for the start of the new session when they will enter the ‘adult’ world of college and university life as they pursue their future academic and vocational dreams. But quite a few of them encounter horror almost on the very first day of entering college in the shape of ‘ragging’ by seniors. The experience can be so bad that cases of suicide, life-long disabilities and serious psychic disorders are now regularly reported from different parts of the country. Sometimes, the young victim, unable to bear the stress and strain of ‘ragging’, decides against pursuing studies, even before the classes get underway.
Regrettably, the crudest form of ‘ragging’ is believed to be rather commonplace in the well-known professional colleges, particularly the medical and engineering colleges. Students in some famous boarding schools learn about ‘ragging’ at quite a tender age. And ‘ragging’ is not an exclusive male preserve, as befits a society that wants to empower women.
As in many other matters, the intervention of the Supreme Court has raised hopes that something may finally be done to prevent the disaster that affects many young lives who step into the campus to blossom into educated, bright and confident adults. The Court has accepted most recommendations made by the R.K.Raghavan committee that had gone into the scourge at the behest of the apex court itself. States are now asked the states to deal with the problem very firmly. Registration of first information report is mandatory against erring seniors who ‘rag’ their juniors in a manner that can be interpreted as criminal in intent. In a people centric activism, the court also ruled that the punishment act as a ‘deterrent’ to discourage any recurrence.
The mandatory registration of FIR and deterring punishment is something that has many critics, both among students and the academics. But the student community has generally not only hailed Supreme Court’s intervention but also supports the harsh punishment the court has advocated for the perpetrators of the more objectionable forms of physical abuses that occur in the name of ‘ragging’.
The critics point is that ‘ragging’ is an old tradition in institutions across the country and its main purpose is to bring the ‘fresher’ and his or her seniors closer, breaking the seniority barrier, and also to enable the ‘fresher’ to transform fast into ‘adults’. Some have also said that ‘ragging’ provides some sort of ‘motivation’ for the victims.
There cannot be any serious objections to ‘ragging’ to the extent that it erases barriers, helps a ‘fresher’ shed his or her shyness, and leads to quick assimilation into the campus milieu. A college or a campus is like a big family that the ‘fresher’ will have to put up with for at least a couple of years, if not more. Getting to know the seniors in this family helps—and sooner the batter.
All this is achievable with the help of what is known as ‘mild ragging’, something that does not involve any physical torture, sexual perversion and verbal abuses all of which take away the victim’s self respect and dignity. Does mild ragging exist? It doesn’t certainly not in hostels, the most common venues for the most unspeakable ragging crimes.
Defenders of ‘ragging’ overlook the fact that it has acquired downright barbaric tones worthy of attention of the otherwise hyper alert human rights activists. In the name of, for instance, breaking the ice, a ‘fresher’ can be made to do any or all of the following acts: stripping before a crowd of seniors, dancing naked, perform ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ sexual acts, sing obscene limericks, almost all through the night. In one of the ‘milder’ forms of ‘ragging’, the ‘fresher’ can be asked to become a virtual domestic help of the seniors. The senior has the right to pillage any item belonging to the ‘fresher’.
There are instances when ‘ragging’ goes on for days together, maybe months. Complaining to the authorities entails acts of retribution, which can be even more harsh and inhuman. It would appear that some of the ‘third degree’ methods associated with the police are actually first rehearsed on campuses. A ‘fresher’ can be beaten black and blue for defiance or failure to carry out the ‘task’ given to him. Not surprisingly, many victims of ragging often end up in the intensive care units; some have died and others have committed suicide. In the past six years alone, more than 20 suicides have been reported after ‘freshers’ parties from different parts of the country.
Whether the Supreme Court intervention results in eliminating the perils of ‘ragging’ remains to be seen. If the response to Lyngdoh committee recommendations on student union elections is seen as a bench mark, there is room for optimism. Like the Raghavan’s, the Lyngdho panel was a creation of the court. Many educational institutions admit that recommendations of the former chief election commissioner have curbed some ‘evil’ practices like money power in campus polls.
Some doubts persist. The fact is that the obnoxious acts performed or perpetrated in the name of ‘ragging’ have always been very clearly illegal and unjust, attracting action under penal laws, but were not brought to the attention of law enforcement authorities. And when action was taken, the maximum punishment awarded was expulsion of the delinquent students.
Needless to say such ‘action’ was either rarely taken or was not in conformity with the enormity of the ‘ragging’ crime committed. The campus authorities may have restrained from going far with ‘action’ either due to consideration for the ‘future’ of the perpetrator or the fear of ‘backlash’ from the student community.
Educational institutions in the country generally prefer to keep the police as far away as possible. That is very good, but then some affective and lasting ways have to be found to stop the sadist and perverse acts that are part and parcel of ‘ragging’.
A ‘fresher’ needs a friendly welcome, not hostility and bestiality when standing at the threshold of adulthood with a new whole life beckoning him.
- Syndicate Features -
UCAN: High court ruling on hazing will benefit suffering students, bishops say
5/22/2007
UCANews (www.ucanews.com)
NEW DELHI, India (UCAN) – Church educators in India have welcomed a Supreme Court ruling on hazing.
The May 16 ruling came after the country's apex court heard recommendations of a government committee that studied hazing in Indian institutions of higher learning. The court wants the Indian Penal Code amended to make hazing punishable under the law.
The court ruling "will benefit many students," especially freshmen who suffer from seniors' "ragging sessions," said Father K.J. Antony, secretary of the education commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Hazing, commonly called "ragging" in India, sometimes leads to tension and violence, the Salesian priest told UCA News on May 21.
Mani Jacob, who heads the ecumenical All India Association for Christian Higher Education, noted that the practice has caused deaths in several colleges and hostels. "Ragging," he told UCA News, has "become a law-and-order problem" that many Indian institutions have trouble tackling.
Welcoming the ruling "both as an educationist and as a parent," Jacob said that even student political organizations resort to hazing to induct freshmen into their associations.
Jacob wants "a new kind of socialization" to help freshmen interact with seniors. He wants school administrations to organize sports and cultural programs to help students in different classes mingle. Authorities should also publicize the court ruling in their institutions, he added.
Now hazing "could be controlled," he remarked, adding that Christian institutions would "be happy to follow" the Supreme Court directive.
The court wants a "comprehensive definition" for hazing to include abetment to hazing, criminal conspiracy, causing injury, wrongful confinement, use of force and assault. It also favors "exemplary (and) justifiably harsh" punishment.
The court also wants hazing cases tried on a fast-track basis to avoid delays. For this, it called for an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code.
The Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education, a volunteer organization, recorded 61 cases in colleges and three more reported in Indian media during 2005-2006. Of the 51 colleges whose students were involved, 19 are architecture colleges, 18 engineering institutions, nine medical schools and five polytechnic colleges.
The court took a cue from the government committee's call for tough measures to address the problem. It wants the onus of proving innocence to be on the accused. The court also wants local police to register official complaints from victims or from parents dissatisfied with institutional action on hazing cases.
The stipulation on the onus, Father Antony says, will make seniors "more careful to avoid ragging juniors." The priest also welcomed the court asking educational institutions to file criminal cases against those responsible for hazing, even if the victims or their relatives refuse to complain.
There is the possibility of juniors taking advantage of the court ruling, Father Antony cautioned, referring to the possibility of false accusations against seniors, who would then have to prove their innocence. But the new law will benefit many, he added.
Republished by Catholic Online with permission of the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News), the world's largest Asian church news agency (www.ucanews.com).
UGC to act tough on ragging - Deccan Herald
New Delhi, PTI:
"We will issue instructions to the universities soon asking them to strictly implement the direction of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit," UGC Secretary T R Kem said.
With the Supreme Court asking educational institutions to register FIRs against students indulging in ragging, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is set to issue strict instructions to all universities to implement the court's order.
"We will issue instructions to the universities soon asking them to strictly implement the direction of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit," UGC Secretary T R Kem told PTI.
"As soon as we get a copy of the court's order, we will issue the instructions to the universities within two to three days."
There are about 275 universities under the UGC.
The IITs, meanwhile, are set to approach the Union human resource development ministry to seek a uniform policy for them to implement the order.
"We will move the ministry seeking a uniform mechanism for all IITs to implement the ruling," IIT-Delhi Registrar Rajendra Singh told PTI.
He said the IIT here sets up an anti-ragging committee every year and a similar panel will be formed this year too.
DU goes for the made-easy formula - Times City
22 May, 2007 l 0403 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI: Simple is the word for Delhi University (DU) this admission season.
toireporter@timesgroup.com
Monday, May 21, 2007
Anti Ragging campaign during WBJEE councelling
No Ragging Foundation is going to campaign during the coming WBJEE counseling both - Medical & Engineering likely to be held on 25th June, 2007.
Everyone is requested to paticipate in this project.Please contact us at: help@no2ragging.org
Call us:
Jayanta(+91 94336 75575)
Kushal(+91 98360 42919)
Pankaj(+91 94336 84293)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Fun & games or life & death? - ET
MYTHILI BHUSNURMATHTIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2007 12:02:40 AM]
Has the SC gone overboard in calling ragging a crime and asking for ‘exemplary and justifiably harsh’ action against those found guilty of indulging in it? The answer is an emphatic no. Ask the parents of Amit Gangwar, a first year student at BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, who unable to bear the torment any more, threw himself in front of a train in 2005 or of Parmeshwar, a student at Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, who ended his life for the same reason in 2003. Ask Sujit Saraf, who studied at the prestigious IIT Delhi from 1987 to 1992 and has had the courage to write about his experiences during the first few days there in Tehelka. No punishment can ever be severe enough as far as they are concerned. It’s not only those who have lost their children so wantonly who will applaud the apex court. So will thousands of parents who send their children to colleges, including some of the most sought-after professional colleges in the country, and are then compelled to wait out an agonizing two months, fearing the worst. To them the SC’s interim directions directing educational institutions to register criminal cases against those indulging in ragging activities are a long overdue and much needed step to end the menace of ragging on our campuses. Inevitably the apex court’s directions have set off a fierce debate. Those who regard raging as harmless fun, as high jinks, a rite of passage to membership of a group argue that the ruling is excessively harsh. Apart from mandatory filing of an FIR, the court has shifted the onus of proof to the accused rather than the victim. It has also warned of more stringent measures in September when it gives its final directions, presumably based on the experience of working with these interim directions. Diehard supporters of ragging are not the only ones unhappy with the SC’s directions. Heads of some educational institutions have criticised it on the grounds that not all instances of ragging are violent or abusive and hence lodging an FIR might be going too far. Agreed, not all cases of ragging are perverted or dangerous but it is not so difficult to distinguish between those that are plain fun and those that are not. US-based website, StopHazing.Org, a websites against ragging (known as hazing) in the US, where it is a problem especially in the Greek-letter fraternity and sorority groups on campuses, has a very simple test to determine where to draw the line between plain fun and hazing.
Treat ragging as cruelty-against-women offences: SC
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007 03:44:06 AM]
NEW DELHI: Talking tough on the menace of ragging in educational institutions, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked for the mandatory registration of FIRs by the institutional authority. The apex court accepted the major recommendations of the Raghavan Committee report, which has urged for an amendment of the IPC to make ragging a punishable offence on the pattern of the cruelty towards women offences under Section 498A of the penal code. A bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice SH Kapadia said that in view of the failure of the prevalent approach towards ragging, the punishment has to be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent against recurrence of the abhorrent practice. The court directed for the mandatory registration of FIR by the authorities of the educational institutions. “Any failure or negligence or deliberate delay on the part of the institutional authority (comprising of heads of institutions, warden etc.) to file an FIR with the local police on the dissatisfaction of the victim with the institutional redressal mechanism, or suo motu by the head of institution, should render the negligence culpable,” it said. The committee in its report has said that though the victim or his parent or guardian can also file an FIR directly with the police, a failure on part of the victim to do so should not justify the delay or neglect on the part of the institutional authorities. “The Committee recommends that rather than subjecting each incident of ragging to a different penal treatment under various sections of the IPC, a new section should be added to the IPC, making ragging a punishable offence on the analogy of Section 498A dealing with cruelty towards women (against dowry related incidents),” said the former CBI Director in his report. The committee further recommended that the Indian Evidence Act should be suitably amended on the analogy of section 113A of the act to shift the burden of proof onto the accused in a ragging incident. Under the criminal law, normally, the onus lies on the complainant. “We recommend that the Criminal Procedure Code should be amended to ensure that cases involving ragging are tried on fast track so that there are no delays in dealing with such matters keping in mind the academic priorities of students who may require to depose before the courts to assist the prosecution,” said the report. The court asked the centre and states to forthwith ensure that educational institutions constitute special anti-ragging comittees/squads at the institutional level to check the menace. However, the court said it would consider at a later stage the plea for banning corporal punishment in primary and secondary educational institutions, which according to the committee was a contributory factor for students to develop bullying tendencies and indulge in ragging. The plea was made by the Additonal Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam who appeared for the Centre and assured implementation of the directions. The court urged the educational institutions to include in their prospectus a specification seeking an undertaking from the student that he/she was not involved in any ragging activities. In case the undertaking is found to be false the student shall be expelled from the institution, the apex court said. It shall be the duty of the Central and State governments to launch programmes to give wide publicity among the students to dissuade them from indulging in the pernicious practice, the court said. The Raghavan Committee has said that the Students’ union elections must be held within 15 days of the beginning of the academic session. This will undermine the nexus reported in some palces between campus politics and ragging.
Bullies beware: Karnataka colleges launch anti-ragging drive -new Kerala
Bangalore, May 18: Universities in Karnataka are coming up with some innovative solutions to the problem of ragging in the wake of a recent crackdown by the Supreme Court.
Bangalore University, for example, plans to include moral studies in its courses - hoping these lessons will not only deter bullies but also help students keep off smoking and drinking.
The Visveswaraya Technological University (VTU), which administers all 120 engineering colleges in the state, has responded rather more robustly - it has drafted its younger faculty members to travel in college buses in order to protect freshmen and women from bullies.
Their moves follow the apex court's directive Wednesday for educational institutions across the country to take a slew of stringent anti-ragging measures, including filing police cases against bullies.
Dr K. Balaveera Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of VTU told IANS that junior faculty members, who are usually only a few years older than their students, would be randomly placed in college buses to stop the seniors from harassing juniors.
The idea is to instill fear among the bullies and make it clear to them that VTU will not tolerate ragging - either on campus or in college buses, he said.
The university has been at it for some years. Preventive steps that have already borne fruit include the threat to stamp marks-sheets of bullies with a 'he is a bully' note.
"Which student would like to risk his future by getting such a stamp on his marks card," Reddy said, adding that no student has suffered that fate so far.
--- IANS
College faculty as drivers to check ragging? - DNA
College faculty as drivers to check ragging?
IANS Friday, May 18, 2007 18:57 IST
BANGALORE: Faculty of engineering colleges in Bangalore may reportedly be deployed as decoy drivers to check the menace of ragging in college buses in the city.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed educational institutions across the country to take a slew of stringent anti-ragging measures, including lodging criminal cases against erring students at the police stations.
K. Balaveera Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) that administers some 120 engineering colleges in Karnataka, said on Friday that there was no plan to tell the faculty to act as drivers.
However, as part of the strict measures adopted by the VTU to check ragging, junior faculty members would randomly travel in the college buses to deter older students from harassing younger ones, he said.
The vice-chancellor said there are about 60 engineering colleges in Bangalore and since authorities cannot rule out the possibility of ragging in college buses, it was decided to deploy faculty members on the buses.
Asked whether he expects the faculty members to cooperate with him in undertaking this task, Reddy said such exercises were carried out in the past as well which will now be extended.
Reddy said decisions like stamping the mark sheet of a student caught while ragging have been taken in the last few years to check ragging, which have proved to be a good deterrent.
"Which student would like to risk his future by getting such a stamp on his marks card," Reddy said, adding that no student has suffered such punishment so far.
Meanwhile, other universities and their affiliated colleges in the state are also planning new initiatives to ensure strict adherence to the apex court's directive.
Bangalore University, for example, plans moral lessons to make its students desist not only from ragging but also from consuming tobacco and liquor.
FIR diktat to college - The Telegraph
Minister of state for technical education Chakradhar Maikap has also convened a meeting of principals of 44 polytechnic colleges next week to discuss “stringent measures” to stop ragging.
“We shall finalise a set of guidelines for all college principals to ensure prompt action on their part whenever an incident of harassment is reported to them,” Maikap said.
The minister’s move follows an order from the Supreme Court, which yesterday made it incumbent on educational institutions to file FIRs if incidents of harassment are brought to their notice.
“I have asked the Suri polytechnic authorities to file a fresh FIR against the students about whom a police complaint has been lodged by Sarojit’s relatives,” director of technical education Parijat De said in Calcutta.
Sarojit, a first-year student of Ramakrishna Silpa Vidyapith in Suri, quit the institute earlier this week. Last Friday, some seniors had scalded him with cigarette butts and banged his head against a wall. Fearing more torture, he fled the hostel.
His elder brother, Hiranmoy, said: “Initially, I thought of lodging a complaint with the college authorities against six students. But I changed my mind in the light of the Supreme Court’s order, according to which a college can itself file an FIR against errant students.”
He said one of his brothers who had gone to bring back Sarojit had lodged a complaint against the six students. “Let the college authorities haul them up.”
In Suri, a seven-member committee formed to probe the alleged harassment on Sarojit has questioned 75 boarders of the college hostel.
A father remembers: Ragging destroyed my life
Indu Anto’s father is now in Kerala, nursing his ailing wife. She never recovered, and the case continues 8 years later
Priyanka Bhosale & Irada P P
Mumbai, May 17: Eight years after his daughter jumped from the terrace of her two-storey college hostel building, C L Anto (54) is a tired man. But never too tired to talk about his daughter, or about ragging, anti-ragging measures and police action against college seniors who may enjoy a little fun at the expense of a fresher’s humiliation.
For, Anto believes strongly that his daughter Indu, then 16, was led to suicide on August 4, 1998, following some vicious ragging sessions. Welcoming Wednesday’s Supreme Court order making First Information reports mandatory in all ragging complaints, Anto says: “The Bombay Ragging Act of 1999, which came into effect after my daughter died, should be implemented with retrospective effect. And institutions should be held solely responsible for all ragging incidents.”
Talking to Newsline from Chalakkudy, a town in Thrissur, Kerala, Anto says he is in Mumbai whenever the case warrants. A little over five years ago, the Bombay High Court directed the Mumbai Police to reinvestigate after Anto sought a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. “The magistrate hearing the case in the Girgaum court has been transferred to the Bandra court,” he explains. “Since he has extensively heard the matter, we are waiting for the case to be transferred.”
Currently nursing his sick wife, who he says never really recovered from the shock of Indu’s death, Anto says he gets emotional only whenever he talks about Indu in court. Accused in the case are two girls who were senior to Indu in college, whose names she had penned in her diary as “raggers”. “Apart from them, I had filed cases against the warden, the then college principal, vice-principal and present principal.” He even filed cases against a slew of police officers, accusing them of destroying evidence.
Stressing the need for better monitoring mechanisms on campuses, Anto says that the order against ragging is at least partly a result of his sustained efforts, but the battle is far from over. “I am not a beneficiary of this case,” he stresses. “I am just doing this for other parents and students.”
ACTIONLINE: STUDENTS’ RELIEF OVER sc DIRECTIVE
SUPREME COURT DIRECTIVE: MANY HOPE THEY MAY HAVE SEEN THE LAST OF RAGGING IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES, OUR CORRESPONDENT REPORTS
‘Use exemplary, justifiably harsh punishment to stop ragging’
Subhendu Ray
Kolkata, May 17: It was the sheer fear of ragging that stopped Dibas Sinha from pursuing his education at Jalpaiguri Engineering College a few years ago. Later, he went to City College in Kolkata and there he graduated with a degree in physics.
“Even today, the pain of not becoming an engineer is fresh in my mind,” he says.
Welcoming a Supreme Court directive asking educational institutes to put down ragging with an iron hand, he hopes that generations to come don’t have to face the problem of ragging and can enjoy their time in college and university. He fervently hopes that hooliganism on the part of seniors in colleges and universities will soon be a matter of the past.
A Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia of the Supreme Court passed an order on Wednesday, directing educational institutions to bring down ragging by compulsorily registering cases against errant students. “The punishment has to be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent against the recurrence of such incidents,” the order stated. The Bench also made it clear that on “every single incident of ragging, where the victim or his parent or guardian or the head of the institution is not satisfied with the institutional arrangement for action, a first information report (FIR) must be filed compulsorily by the institutional authority with the local police”.
Santanu Mandal, who has been doing his house staffship in Kolkata Medical College and Hospital after graduating from there, felt that the directive will provide a powerful tool for them to launch a strong fight against ragging. “We have been trying to do away with ragging for sometime now and have demanded the formation of an anti-ragging committee in every institute. Our efforts have helped in bringing down instances of ragging to some extent. Though, now armed with the Supreme Court directive we will be in a better position to make the matter a thing of the past,” he says.
Rittik Datta, a student of Shibpur Engineering College, however, feels that a complete halt to ragging will not be good for students who have just finished their schooling. “Ragging should be there, but it should not cross certain limits. We are against physical harm towards students in the name of ragging. But for the enhancement of maturity and mental growth of freshers, senior students should be allowed to organise introduction and interrogation sessions for them. Indeed, this practice helps students when they appear for jobs in a competitive environment,” he says.
This is the same college where three years ago 148 students were suspended for physically harassing juniors. The guardian of a student, on condition of anonymity, said that his son had been physically and mentally ‘tortured’ by a group of senior students, who were known to be Datta’s associates. “It’s the responsibility of the guardians, as well as the college administration, to make students fit for the hazards of professional life. Mental growth and maturity are subjective ideas and ragging cannot be a method for these,” he says.
First-year mechanical engineering student at Jadavpur University Roupyajay Bhattacharyya gets jittery when he remembers his first days in the university. “The way I was beaten up, I thought it would have been better to study in a general college. After the ragging session, I could not go for classes for four days. Even now I do not stay in the university hostel. Who knows I might be treated inhumanly there too,” he says.
Ragging has been reported at IIT Kharagpur too. A first-year student said that even girl students like her were not spared. “I hope the directive will be effective and my fellow students will not have to go through the trauma in future,” she says. IIT Kharagpur Director S K Dube, however, says, “We will follow the Raghavan Committee report in toto. There have hardly been any problems in the past five years, though.” Former CBI director R K Raghavan was given the task of finding ways and means to stop ragging in educational institutes.
Welcoming the Supreme Court directive, Jadavpur University Registrar Rajat Kanti Sanyal says, “We have already formed an anti-ragging committee and if any incident takes place here, we will definitely hand the culprits over to the police.”
Last Monday, Sarojit Biswas, a first-year civil engineering student of Ramakrishna Shilpa Vidyapith, had gone missing from the college, following ragging by his seniors. He climbed down a water pipe and fled the hostel to escape the ragging. Later, the police found Biswas at a friend’s house in Suri town. He told the police, “My seniors had asked me to inhale cigarette smoke. When I refused, they beat me up and burned me with cigarette butts. They banged my head against the wall till I started bleeding. Fearing more ragging, I fled after dinner on Friday night.”
A friend and classmate of Biswas said he heaved a sigh of relief after hearing about the directive. “If this is not implemented soon, I will personally lodge an FIR against the concerned seniors and leave the university,” he said.
IIT-K launches helpline for freshers to curb ragging
Zeenews
Kanpur, May 17: In a bid to save new entrants from ragging, the Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur has launched a students' helpline.
Assistant registrar Satyamurthi told media that the initiative would arrest the ragging of new comers by their seniors to a large extent. "The helpline team constitutes 11 senior professors of the institute," he said.
Their mobile helpline numbers would be made available to all the new students at the time of admission, he said. "The students can lodge a ragging complaint over the mobile phone and all the team members will immediately rush to the spot," he said.
According to Satyamurthi, the incidents of ragging normally take place at the students' hostels during the night. "The hostel wardens will also stay on high alert and would conduct raids," he said, adding stern action would be taken against any senior student found ragging juniors.
The institute has also recently launched a counselling service in which teachers and senior students are included.
"Any student can approach the counsellors on financial or family problem and all the possible help will be extended to him," he said.
Bureau Report
KEM gynaecologist attempts suicide DNA
Poornima Swaminathan Thursday, May 17, 2007 08:59 IST
For the latest Mumbai News on mobile sms MUM to 4567
Police suspect harassment by seniors; victim says she was severely depressed
A 25-year-old gynaecologist with the KEM Hospital attempted suicide by consuming 20 sleeping pills in her RMO quarters on Tuesday evening.
The reason behind Yogini Kaje's desperate act has not been ascertained, but police are exploring all angles, including ragging and harassment by some seniors. Incidentally, a schizophrenic patient had jumped to his death from the second floor of the hospital on Tuesday.
Ironically, the incident came to light on a day Supreme Court adopted a tough posture on the issue of ragging, asking educational institutions to file FIRs against those who indulged in ragging.
An unconscious Yogini, who had been working with the hospital for the past one year, was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) where her condition was stated to be stable. Police say that Yogini told them later that she was severely depressed and in one of her bouts, consumed 20 sleeping pills.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Lohia (Zone III) said "Such heavy was the dosage of pills that she is still drowsy. We are waiting for her to recover before recording her statement."
A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the motive behind the attempted suicide was being probed. "The investigations are in a preliminary stage. We are investigating all angles, including the possibility of ragging and harassment by seniors. The motive will be clear after she recovers," he said.
The matter came to light when Yogini's roommates failed to elicit any response after knocking repeatedly at the door. When the door was finally broken, Yogini was found lying unconscious.
Her parents who live in Nashik, rushed to the hospital on Wednesday and were shocked with the incident. While the father is a busy practicing doctor, her brother Yogesh is a doctor in Pune.
“She never told us she had problems. She always sounded cheerful on the phone. We only hope she recovers from this trauma fast,” said Yogesh (22). Shocked relatives could not believe that Kaje attempted to end life. "She was academically sound and always sounded cheerful. It's a shock to us," said another relative.
Meanwhile, authorities at KEM hospital have set up a high-level inquiry by a panel comprising senior doctors and professors to probe the matter. "We will be able to comment only after we get a report. But it is unfortunate," said Nilima Kshirsagar, Dean, KEM Hospital.
KEM student attempts suicide
Possibly under depression and worried by ragging, Dr. Yogini Kaje, a first year student of Diploma in Gynaecology...
Possibly under depression and worried by ragging, Dr. Yogini Kaje, a first year student of Diploma in Gynaecology, attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills and attempted suicide on Tuesday in the hostel of KEM hospital.“After completion of her MD, she chose to do 2 year diploma course in gynaecology from KEM hospital. Hailing from Aurangabad, she stayed in the hostel of the hospital. On Monday evening, she consumed fifteen sleeping pills and was found unconscious in her room (no. 1116) at the hospital hostel. Later, she was admitted in the ICU yesterday, where her condition was stated to be critical. Now, she is out of danger, we are trying to interrogate her, so it would be unfair to comment on the issue nor can we claim it as attempt to suicide,” said Senior Police Inspector Ambadas Gadabe from Bhoiwada police station. The Dean of the hospital Nilima Sirsagar, however avoided phone calls.According to sources, Yogini was under depression due to the work pressure, mental harassment, and ragging from the senior doctors. She had also complained to her father, about this harassment a few days ago
Frights of passage - Hindustan Times
May 17, 2007First Published: 23:12 IST(17/5/2007)Last Updated: 23:12 IST(17/5/2007)
The Supreme Court has often been criticised for judicial activism but its directive on ragging in campuses will be met with approval across the board. The apex court has made it mandatory for colleges to file FIRs against students accused of ragging based on the recommendations made by the Raghavan Committee, set up by the HRD Ministry. The victims of this peculiar form of introduction to educational institutions have long had no forum of redressal. Of course, the law forbids any form of torture, but the authorities have tended to dismiss the practice as senior students engaging in a bit of fun to break the ice with freshers.
In fact, not until there is a death or severe injury does a ragging case reach the court. Students who have dared to complain have faced the brunt of their seniors’ ire and have opted to drop out of college. Entry into any professional college in India is a traumatic process. The preparations and competition take their own toll on students. For those from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, admission to a good institution is the key to a better life. To deprive them of this is criminal. Worse, the number of students committing suicide due to ragging has steadily gone up. A survey by a voluntary group found that of the 64 cases of severe ragging reported in the media between January 2005 and December 2006, 11 resulted in death, 10 attempted suicide and, in 23 cases, injuries.
Ragging is no longer an innocent rite of passage. It does not promote camaraderie between new students and seniors. This is because what was once considered a lark has become a sadistic form of abuse. One of the most gruesome instances was a 1998 case in Tamil Nadu when a 21-year-old student was murdered for resisting a senior’s attempt to rag him in violent ways. The victim, a vice-chancellor’s son, was chopped to pieces and stuffed in a gunny bag. Sexual abuse is commonplace in most professional colleges, especially in the hostels, in all states, from West Bengal to Maharashtra, Punjab to Tamil Nadu, in premier institutes like the IITs and lesser colleges. The entire purpose of ragging now seems to be solely to humiliate and demean.
NCERT asked to add chapter on ragging
NCERT asked to add chapter on ragging17 May, 2007 l 0218 hrs ISTlDhananjay Mahapatra/TIMES NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI: Issuing the judgement to stamp out ragging, the SC Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia called for the speedy adjudication of such cases as it was necessary to "send a message that ragging should be dealt with sternly and all students must be discouraged from indulging in it". When the court was adjourning the matter for detailed hearing in September to take into account other important recommendations of the Raghavan Committee, additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam stressed the need for institutions making it clear in their prospectus that ragging would be met with exemplary punishment. Agreeing with the ASG, the court directed the institutions to also spell out clearly in their prospectus that a student, already found guilty of ragging, may not be given admission. The prospectus should also clarify that students found guilty of ragging would be expelled, it added. All these measures should be widely publicised by the Centre and states, the court directed. It also asked the anti-ragging squads to see that the courts orders were scrupulously adhered to and bring to its notice all deviations and discrepancies. The court asked the Raghavan Committee to monitor the implementation of the its directions as well as the work of the anti-ragging squads. The court had set up the committee in the wake of media reports about deaths and suicides by students during or due to ragging. The court also asked NCERT and SCERT to explore the possibility of introducing a chapter on this issue under the 'human rights' chapter to sensitise school students on the issue.
Sex, crime in the name of ragging
Divya IyerCNN-IBN
New Delhi: Ragging is banned in schools and colleges. But the horrible practice continues to exist across the college campuses. “We were asked to strip, hold the genitals of other male students enact a rape scene,” says student (name withheld) of the Delhi University.
Victims, who tell they either had to quit or suffer quietly for there was nobody to take an action, share the ghastly experiences of harassments and sexual assault in the name of ‘ragging’. “I joined Kumaon engineering college in 2002. Violence, humiliation and filthy language were very much a part of ‘ragging’ right from day one,” says Rohit Kaler, a victim.
He adds, “At midnight seniors entered the hostel and asked two of my friends to strip and rub Vaseline on each others body. They asked us to take our genital imprints and carry those as identity proof with the genital measurements written on it.”
Rohit left the college in 50 days. This was five-years back, but things aren't any better even today. Now in a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has prescribed severe penalties for even mild forms of ragging.
cont...
Students doubt effectiveness of anti-ragging recommendation
By IANS, [RxPG] New Delhi, May 16 - Most students in the capital doubted the effectiveness of the Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday that those guilty of ragging in educational institutes will be severely punished.
'Rules or no rules, ragging will continue,' said most students as the apex court-appointed Raghavan Committee Wednesday recommended educational institutions across the country to take a slew of stringent anti-ragging measures, including lodging criminal cases against erring students at the police stations.
'I doubt it,' said Sanchari Das, a post-graduate student of Delhi University. 'Probably the amount of ragging in hostels which are within the institute's premises will come down, but not entirely. If not within the institute, students will be ragged outside the campus,' she said with confidence.
Agreed Angana Adhikari, another student of the university. 'Everyone has gone through the ordeal of getting ragged. Rules or no rules, I am sure students will devise some way of ragging the freshers, which doesn't catch the eye of the higher authorities,' she said.
Priyanka Gupta, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia, said: 'Moreover, being new in the campus, the fresher will be in a state of awe and might not always be ready to take the risk of complaining against his seniors and face them later.'
Yet there are a few who are hopeful that the move will bring some respite for the freshers. 'I have been ragged for nearly two years and I sincerely hope that Supreme Court's move helps do away with this 'custom' altogether. It's a mental torture,' said Abhay Chawla, a third year student of Delhi University.
'If nothing else, at least the institute will also be accountable for the freshers' miseries now,' he added.
The court said that whenever the victim or his family is not satisfied with the action taken, a police complaint must be lodged by the institution.
The committee in its report said that the conviction rate in ragging cases booked under the Indian Penal Code is extremely low.
The committee also suggested an induction programme for the freshers with the help of senior students and the faculty's guidance to check incidents of ragging.
Delhi Newsline : Colleges hail SC ruling on ragging
Express News Service
New Delhi, May 16: The academic fraternity has welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order on ragging on Wednesday.
The apex court, on Wednesday, directed educational institutions across the country to take stringent anti-ragging measures, including lodging criminal cases against erring students at police stations.
Acting on recommendations of the government-appointed committee on ragging headed by former CBI director RK Raghavan, the court asked for establishment of state-level anti-ragging committees and asked the NCERT to include a chapter on ragging under a sub-heading of human rights violation in social or civic studies.
“The interim order is very positive. The emphasis is on monitoring. Unless there is a check, ragging can’t be avoided. It’s a cognisable offence now and we’ll be happy to implement the directions,” said Ramjas College Principal Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was also a members of the Raghavan panel.
“We have met students who have been ragged. The report wants to empower the harassed. Here, victim comes later, harassment comes first,” said Prasad.
While the order on the full report is expected in August, the interim order asks states to evolve their own mechanism to form anti-ragging committees. One important aspect of the report is the introduction of a ‘mentor system’ where every freshers’ interest is protected by a senior student and faculty member. Colleges, meanwhile, are planning to include a clause in their prospectus that would make admission of a student null in case he is found guilty of ragging after admission, as per the report.
“Earlier, no one talked of discipline on campus. Now, the measures proposed will act as a deterrent. We’ll include a clause in our prospectus that would clearly caution students that they’ll be expelled if found guilty,” said Dr Harmeet Singh, principal of Khalsa College.
Friday, May 18, 2007
No Ragging Foundation gets complains.
No Ragging Foundation has received complains, over phone, from family members of ragging victims that the authority is not co-operating with them.
Even in a very recent incident such allegations re-emphasizes how much the order by the Honbl. Supreme Court was necessary.
In many instances it is found that the authorities of the concerned institution try to shield the guilty and thus indirectly promote ragging.
We sincerely hope that the new orders will be helpful in this regard as such authorities will now be held responsible for their negligence towards the victims and towards elimination of ragging.
Ajkal report on No Ragging Foundation
Link to report
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Register FIR for ragging, SC rules (CNN-IBN)
New Delhi: Ragging is a crime says the Supreme Court. The apex court has directed educational institutions to register criminal cases against those indulging in ragging activities.
An FIR has to be compulsorily registered in cases of ragging and the local courts must give priority to such cases, ruled the SC. An anti-ragging committee is to be set up in all states. The guidelines follow the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee on ragging and would be implemented from this academic year
A Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia ordered the Central/State governments to forthwith constitute anti-ragging committees /squads to check the menace at the college campuses.
The move comes after the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry decided to take the issue of ragging, which has been of immense concern for both the academic as well as the administrative authorities for long.
Raghavan Committee submitted a voluminous report to the court to immediately implement its various recommendations. The committee also suggests stringent action against the authorities of the educational institutions where incidents of ragging will be reported.
The Committee was constituted by the Centre with the former CBI Director R K Raghavan, on the earlier directions of the Court. The Court had passed the directions following a spate of deaths across the country due to the menace of ragging
NDTV - Ragging is unacceptable, says SC
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 (New Delhi)
The Supreme Court has come down heavily on ragging, telling institutions that any failure or negligence in lodging FIRs will be construed as negligence on the part of the institutions.
The court has ordered all institutions to implement several of the recommendations made by a government-appointed committee, the Raghavan Committee.
The court said that ragging must be deterred by exemplary and harsh punishment.
In every instance where a victim or his guardian is not satisfied with the action taken against ragging, an FIR must be filed by the institution.
The move comes after a committee appointed by the Supreme Court and headed by former CBI Director R K Raghavan recommended a comprehensive law to check ragging, asking for educational institutions to be made accountable.
The Raghavan committee report had found out that the conviction rate in ragging cases booked under the Indian Penal Code was very low and recommended changes in the IPC.
The committee suggested an induction programme for the freshers with the help of senior students under faculty guidance and faculty training to check incident of ragging.
The committee recommended stern penalties including expelling students accused of ragging and asked for counselling for victims.
Link to report
Monday, May 14, 2007
Student goes missing after ragging
SURI: Saroj Kumar Biswas, a first-year student of Ramakrishna Shilpa Vidyapith, a state-run polytechnic college, went missing on Friday night. His family members have alleged that Saroj fled from the hostel after being ragged by his seniors.
The family members and college authorities have lodged separate complaints with Suri police on Saturday night, nearly 24 hours after Saroj went missing.
In his complaint at the Suri police station, the victim's elder brother, Dipan, accused six third-year students - all hostel boarders - of being responsible for his brother's disappearance. Dipan has also named some first-year and second-year students who supported his claims.
"They used to torture him. He was threatened with dire consequences if he ever told anybody about the torture he had to endure. I'm a former student of this college and I know very well what goes on here. He had told me about the students who used to torture him. They started to torment him right since the day he joined for the first semester," said Dipan.
Pankaj, the other brother, who studies electrical engineering in the college, also claimed that Saroj was singed with cigarettes. Dipan's statement found support from some first and second-year students.
The boarders first noticed Saroj's absence on Friday night during dinner. The hostel monitor, Avijit Dey, a third-year student, informed the hostel superintendent that Saroj hadn't turned up for dinner. The authorities asked Pankaj about his brother's whereabouts. But he had no information.
The hostel authorities then called up Saroj's residence in Thakurnagar in North 24-Parganas. But even the family members could provide no information.
Suri police has started an investigation into Saroj's disappearance. However, they are surprised by
the fact that it took the hostel authorities almost 24 hours to inform them. "The hostel authorities claimed that they were waiting to hear from the family," an officer said.
Satyasankar Panda, the SP of Birbhum said: "Our officers have started an investigation. We are considering all possibilities. We are not ruling out the allegations of ragging that forced Saroj to flee."
Link to report
Ragging victim goes missing
Suri, May 13: A first-year polytechnic student who had allegedly been the target of seniors in ragging is missing since Friday night.
Some first and second-year students of Ramakrishna Shilpa Vidyapith told the Birbhum police chief today that Sarojit Biswas used to be ragged regularly at the hostel.
“The gave me a written complaint. We are probing the charge,” superintendent S.S. Panda said.
The 20-year-old from Thakurnagar, North 24-Parganas, had joined the three-year civil engineering course last June.
He was not seen at the hostel after dinner on Friday. A missing case was started yesterday on the basis of a complaint lodged by hostel superintendent Aditya Dutta.
A Suri officer said the 33 students who met Panda this afternoon gave a list of “tortures” inflicted on Sarojit by his seniors but refused to disclose their identities.
“He was asked to inhale cigarette smoke. When he refused, he was beaten up and scalded with cigarette butts,” a first-year student was quoted as saying.
Sarojit’s elder brother Bipan, who arrived here yesterday, said. “My brother had told me that six seniors were after him. I have every reason to believe that he fled the hostel to escape ragging.”
Panda said Sarojit had been “depressed” since faring poorly in the first semester examination held in January.
His cousin Pankaj, a first-year electrical engineering student in the college, said he was in a state of shock and refused to comment. “You better ask my elder brother (Bipan) about it,” he said.
The hostel superintendent said no student had reported earlier that Sarojit was being ragged. “Our complaint box is empty. Sarojit was depressed after he failed in three subjects in the semester exam,” Dutta added.
Abhijit Das, a third-ye- ar civil engineering student who is the hostel monitor, noticed during a routine check at 10.30 pm on Friday that Sarojit was missing.
Link to news
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
RAGGING ARTICLE : "Watch Tower: Ragging: Break vicious circle"
Central chronicle , Saturday May 5, 2007
We must try to discipline our children to recognize reality and in so doing, we enrich our own understanding. Welcome their evolving independence and then only, we will be supported by the strength we have helped them attain.
Sanjay Dutt's movie: Lage Raho Munnabhai has certainly created thrills as well as the great impact in every section of our society of course due to movie's funny caption. The caption carries a different message (meaning) to different people and it is used freely according to the occasion and place.
In university and college campus, the smart, nay naughty- so called -senior students got the best opportunity to use, Lage Raho Munnabhai to their own advantage, just to harasses all freshers. Lage Raho Munnabhai, says one senior, while the other guy says..Jago..Jago..! Munna!! In order to make all freshers fully aware and caution them about their fate on the very first day of college. And thus the worst game of ragging begins with a stern warning along with all kinds of harassment and vulgarity. How he worst cruel joke becomes in nightmare which is well-known to everybody. Well done Munnabhai!.
Naturally looking to the increasing trend towards disorder, indiscipline and misbehaviour in Indian universities has aroused controversy and confusion in the minds of all intellectuals, administrators and parents alike. Indeed what is happening at universities today is not just passing commotion, which can be put down by firmer discipline only. As the causes for the present chaotic situation are many and varied, they are to be studied in right perspective and find out ways and means to improve it, before it goes out of control, instead of blaming the student alone.
No doubt, their misbehaviour on various counts and specially in ragging has not only created a terror in the minds of all innocent boys but it has actually threatened their lives by disrupting normal operations and infringing upon the rights of others.
The worst part is, ragging has now become a regular feature of ugly and crude method of so called entertainment with all sorts of vulgarity. Year after year several boys became the target of this unsocial element and are compelled to end their precious lives sheer out of disgust.
It is simply an irony of fate that instead of taking pity over these incidents, every year some new inventions of ragging are pouring through the ingenious brain of the present day youth and they are being carried out with the least idea of its repercussions in the long run. They totally forget that there is a lot of difference between `fun and ragging'.
The most inhuman way of ragging has come to light when all freshers are asked to be naked in front of all seniors at the point of knife. All these acts clearly go to show the extremity of ragging and the extent of moral degradation how the present day youth uses his perverted intelligence in making `fool of himself'. In fact all seniors do forget that `once upon a time' they were also freshers and had become the target of ragging and naturally they ought to have come to their senses, well in time and stopped ragging but ironically enough when they indulge in the same old game of ragging, with full of vigour, sheer out of revengeful attitude, then probably, ragging will have no end in itself, as it is a vicious circle.
Every fresher becomes senior next year and he is bound to think, that ragging automatically becomes his birthright being senior. In short the present day youth lives under obsession of pleasure and entertainment has become the real business of his life. Discipline is a forgotten word and self-restraint does not exist at all.
However, the question poses, whether can we afford to blame the student alone for the present state of affairs and hold them responsible for the mess: the answer is certainly a big no. But we ourselves, as parents and guardians, who are expected to mould their destiny, are equally responsible for all the crises, we are facing today. Because we are unable to understand their problems in right perspective and do not know the art of bringing them up properly, as no other task in the world is so complicated and challenging, as that of bringing up children.
In short, we must try to discipline our children to recognize reality and in so doing, we enrich our own understanding. Welcome their evolving independence and then only, we will be supported by the strength we have helped them attain.
But oh the whole trouble is that instead of realizing the fact that all parents and guardians are the real custodians of their wards and it is they who are responsible and equally expected to keep them under control, check their day to day activities, build their moral character and thus help them to mould their destiny, they indirectly encourage them to misbehave in all spheres of social life without knowing its repercussions in the long run. In short, we ourselves indulge our children in the delusion that we are being good to them. This is the only and primary reason why we are facing the crisis today.
Not only this but in order to escape the responsibility of bringing up their children in right direction they just go on blaming 1) the general education system prevailing in the country. 2) Administrative set-up of all educational institutions. 3) Loss of control over the student by the teaching staff in general and 4) the government's policies in particular forgetting totally that all educational institutions and government agencies are not run by the super human beings but by the persons amongst themselves only.
KD Kekre
Monday, May 7, 2007
Panel on ragging to submit report to SC tomorrow
"Apart from that the committee has also listed some mandatory instructions for every college to deal with the issue," sources in the committee told PTI.
"The members were also concerned of the low conviction rate in incidences of ragging and hence some amendments in the IPC is certainly in the fray if the courts deem it worth," they added.
The committee, headed by former CBI Director R K Raghavan, has suggested a two-fold approach of punishment coupled with counselling. Wherein, the college needs to also facilitate access to psychological help for both the victim and the potential perpetrator.
The committee headed by former has also noticed a trend in the incidents of ragging and the victims in most cases hail from the rural and weak backgrounds and vice-versa. Hence, some suggestion also include steps to bridge this gap in the campus and promoting amity among the students, the sources said.
The suggestions also speak in favour of healthy ways of introduction of the juniors under the guidance of the faculty. It also speaks of arming the juniors with the identity of the seniors at the time of their entry for better identification and mention of the rules in the prospectus of the colleges to curb the menace
AIIMS apartheid, cricket to class
Daily life at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences resembles that in the country’s feudal outbacks and Apartheid-era South Africa, a government committee has discovered, confirming findings reported by The Telegraph.
“Some would just get up and walk away when I would sit at the table (in the mess),” said Jiten Dash (name changed, like Meena’s), according to transcripts of conversations the panel had with SC and ST students.
The committee interviewed 25 reserved-category students — half their total number at the institute — of whom almost all said they were told “not to play basketball or cricket by the upper caste students”. “Football and volleyball (that the upper castes don’t fancy) were the only sports we were allowed to play,” Meena said.
The committee claims “enough evidence” that the discrimination is “linked” to the “proactive role the AIIMS administration played” in fanning anti-quota sentiments on campus.
During last year’s anti-reservation agitation, AIIMS authorities had allowed student protesters from other institutions, too, to gather on the campus. No other central institution did so.
Most of those the committee interviewed alleged the teachers ignored Dalit students in class and deliberately failed them in exams, especially the practical tests.
“Even in internship, they are harassing (us)… now they are threatening us about the exams that are coming,” a medico complained against teachers. “Last year, out of seven students… six were failed — nearly by one or two marks.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had personally intervened to set up the three-member committee, headed by University Grants Commission chairman Sukhdeo Thorat, after this newspaper reported the campus discrimination.
The panel confirmed the finding that reserved category students were bullied into vacating their hostel rooms, leading to an SC/ST ghetto being formed on two floors of Hostels 4 and 5.
Each of the 25 interviewed said that despite a ragging ban, they were humiliated when they had joined. “They would call us to their rooms and order us… ‘tell us 10 reasons why you should get reservation… if you don’t we’ll beat you’,” one of them said.
“These incidents happen every year. Whenever a new batch joins they are treated like this,” a general category student confirmed.
The authorities ignored repeated complaints from the SC and ST students, encouraging their tormentors.
One Dalit boy who tried to join general category students in a game of basketball was thrashed, the committee noted. Another boy was told to “get out” by the cook when he walked into the mess where the upper castes dined.
The committee said the institute, despite requests, “has not taken any initiative to arrange remedial coaching in English, basic courses or any other spheres for SC/ST students as is required by central government educational institutions”.
Unlike many other central institutions, it lacks a grievance cell for SC and ST students. The committee has recommended that AIIMS set up an “equal opportunity office (EOO)”, answerable to the institute’s governing body and not the hospital administration.
The panel has also suggested that committees in AIIMS at every level — dealing with student, faculty or administration issues — have SC/ST members.
The committee last evening submitted its final report to health minister Anbumani Ramadoss.
See here: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070507/asp/frontpage/story_7744209.asp
‘NIT staff didn’t take enough measures to stop ragging’
In the ragging death case of a student of Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), the crime branch has submitted its inquiry report to the ADGP (Crime) in which it said the institute administration had not taken sufficient measures to stop ragging. The report has also raised a finger over the investigation by the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The report said had the NIT administration taken proper measures to stop ragging on the campus, the death would have never occured. Sources said the probe also questioned why the GRP did not indict the NIT staff responsible for checking ragging.
Notably, a first-year student, Amit Gangwar, had committed suicide by jumping before a train in October 2005 and left a suicide note, naming ten senior students who tortured him.
Crime Branch SP, Jalandhar, Kamal Kumar, was not available for comments.
For details, please visit: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=235042
Sunday, May 6, 2007
New Serial on Ragging by ANURAG BASU
Anurag Basu, the re-knowned film-maker who made films like Murder, Gangstar... have made a serial namely "Love Story"...which is being seen on air in the SAB tv every Monday to Friday @ 9pm. Every Saterday...watch its repeat telecast.
Here is the original post......
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may62007/enter185410200755.asp
must see it...
Here is a pert of the interview of Anurag Basu...
".........Did you get away from TV four years ago as a deliberate career decision?
Yes. TV direction had become a kind of routine for me. I was not able to get out of the rut. I turned to filmmaking to do something refreshing.
You will agree that my films were far apart from the kind of work I had done for TV. I am back to TV because I have something interesting to give. Love Story is not the usual romantic stuff. It has elements of mystery as well as crime. It is great story telling. It celebrates the idea of love.
It's the story of youth with two romantic tracks. Akash and Shruti and Rohit and Ritu are the two romantic pairs in the story. It happens in the present. It goes into flashbacks as well.
There is a lot of campus drama in it. It also has older characters as guardians to make it a family soap. It is full of fun, rich in looks, stylish, and glossy. The serial has been shot in actual locations of Delhi. It is realistic.
You will not find Karan Johar kind of a college in the film. The college scenes have been shot in Delhi University’s Hindu college. People will be able to see the typical north Indian culture and values in the serial.
We are also highlighting the problems faced by our youth, problems like ragging, dirty SMSs, drugs, etc."
Early classes for freshers in offing
NEW DELHI: Ragging could soon become a cognisable offence with the severity of punishment varying with the degree of ragging. Also, parents will have to give in writing at the time of admission that their child will not rag.
To ensure the new batch is familiar with each other and the campus, classes for freshers may start at least seven days before the regular academic session begins.
These and other suggestions are part of a report drafted by the SC-appointed R K Raghavan committee, which met at IIT-Delhi on Saturday. The committee will meet again on Sunday to give finishing touches to the report that is to be presented to the SC on Tuesday.
With sexual harassment or abuse against the victim being an important component of ragging in most cases, the committee — which was constituted in November last year — has observed that defining ragging as a cognisable offence could prove to be most effective. To ensure that ‘lesser culprits’ don’t get off scot-free, the committee has proposed different penalties, which should be proportional to the degree of ragging.
Former CBI director Raghavan and his team have also taken into consideration the suggestion of anti-ragging NGO StopRagging.org and proposed a counselling cell be set up in all educational institutions. ‘‘This will ensure healthy interaction among the freshers and seniors,’’ said Rohit Kaler from the NGO.
(coursty: The Times Of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Early_classes_for_freshers_in_offing/articleshow/2008062.cms)
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