Ragging continues to be a problem in India despite the University Grants Commission's (UGC) regulations and the Supreme Court's ban on the practice.
On the top court's direction in 2009, a UGC regulation was framed for stopping and controlling the horror of ragging in education institutions. Many States have passed their own laws. Yet, the disturbing ritual persists in many campuses across India, defying a multitude of policies and laws.
This is evident from the recent incident wherein a first-year student at Gujarat’s Dharpur Medical College, Anil Methaniya, died after being forced to stand for three hours as part of a ragging session by senior students.
Following Anil's death, his family accused senior students of ragging, claiming it led to his death. According to them, all first-year students were attending an introductory session that night and were allegedly made to stand for three hours, after which Anil collapsed. The family is now demanding strict action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The issue is there is hundreds of ragging cases which go unnoticed and unreported, while the victims live with life-long mental scars. But the government and the educational institutes continue to turn a blind eye to this scourge.
Medical colleges figure disproportionately in the list of complaints to UGC’s anti-ragging cell, but anti-ragging activists complain that the complaints don’t always lead to action.
Multiple pieces of legislation and regulations prohibiting ragging on campuses have failed to end the dehumanising ordeals junior students are subjected to by their sadistic seniors.
Over the last five and a half years, at least 25 students have died by suicide after they were subjected to ragging, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has revealed. In reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur, the UGC said that these complaints were registered with the central body between January 1, 2018 and August 1, 2023. This shows how ineffective UGC has been in controlling the ragging instances.
Ragging is a criminal offense in India. It is defined as any disorderly conduct that causes or is likely to cause psychological harm, annoyance, or hardship to a junior or fresher student. This can include teasing, treating, or handling a student with rudeness, or asking them to do something they would not normally do.
There has been a considerable rise in the number of alleged ragging cases reported at the University Grant Commission’s (UGC) helpline 1800-180-5522 in 2023-24 compared to 2022-23.
According to reports quoting UGC data, 1,240 alleged ragging cases were reported between January 1, 2023, and April 28, 2024, on its anti-ragging helpline. A 45% increase was noticed in the number of ragging cases registered in this period upon comparing the data with that of the previous academic year (2022–23). In the previous academic year, a total of 858 complaints were received by the anti-ragging helpline.
Similarly, a 47% hike was noted between the academic years 2021–22 and 2022–23, with 582 complaints registered in the former.
The UGC says that it is firmly committed to promoting a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students in universities and colleges across India. Yet, the cases of ragging are increasing, leading to even deaths. The regulatory agency seems to have been ineffective in protecting the students’ interests.
It has to be more proactive in dealing with cases of ragging by making all the colleges and universities accountable for failing to act against the offenders. The cases should be pursued to its logical end by conducting inquiries and ensuring that the guilty are punished. Heads should roll.
It is very important to send out the message that demeaning acts by senior students against their juniors in the garb of “ice-breaking” is not cool. The Union Education Ministry, along with its counterparts from all the States, should end this menace by enhancing surveillance my installing CCTV cameras in college and hostel corridors. Designated faculty members and hostel wardens should report instances toxic ragging before a student is forced to quit the college or attempt suicide.
It takes lot of physical effort and perseverance to crack the extremely tough entrance exams. Most of these students hail from modest backgrounds and the parents have to pay hefty fees to fulfil the dreams of their wards. When a promising youngster is forced to leave the institute mid-way or end his or her life due to ragging, then not only dreams, but lives too are shattered. The authorities have to take proper cognisance of this fact and end the scourge of ragging at any cost.