Police gear up to foil ragging

Police gear up to foil ragging

PUNE: In view of the fresh academic sessions starting at institutions in the city and learning a lesson from a ragging incident at BJ Medical College (BJMC) last year, when a first year student had to be admitted to the intensive care unit, the police have decided to start anti-ragging cells/committees at police stations to prevent such incidents.

A notification was issued to all police station and special branch officials on Wednesday, requesting them to form committees comprising school, college and university students, teachers and other authorities to keep a check on ragging.

The notification has placed Bharati Vidyapeeth, Deccan Gymkhana, Kothrud, Bundgarden, Yerwada, Sahakarnagar, Chatushrungi, Hinjewadi and Pimpri police stations on high alert as a majority of the educational institutes come under their jurisdictions.

It has been observed that most of the ragging incidents were reported during the initial days of the new academic year, the notification said.

City police commissioner Jayant Umranikar said, “Basically, we want to provide a communication point to the representatives of police, college authorities and students. These communication points can collect information related to students who may be involved in ragging.”

He said that the local police station will contact students and teachers to establish these communication points and set up committees, which will provide information to the deputy commissioner of police, special branch.

Umranikar urged the police to use the Maharashtra Anti-Ragging Act of 1999, which bans ragging in the state and stipulates stringent punishment for offenders.

Incidents of ragging have rocked academic institutions time and again. On September 4, 2006, Akhilesh Shukla (17), a first-year medical student of the BJMC, was admitted to the ICU of Sassoon hospital after he was allegedly ragged by his seniors at the college hostel. He was reportedly forced to do sit-ups for an inordinately long time.

In 2003, as many as 26 students were shown the door at the ILS Law College following a ragging incident. The S.P. College too was in the news for ragging.

link to report : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Police_gear_up_to_foil_ragging/articleshow/2234484.cms