Ragging: Needs to be addressed adequately

Prof. (Dr.) Karuna Hazarika

(Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent,

Tezpur Medical College)

In the recent past, there has been some horrific news published in the national media about ragging in the different institutes in India that has raised many eyebrows. Some of the news headlines read: “Four MBBS students in Himachal Pradesh suspended for ragging...”, “Kerala student assaulted for 29 hours before his suicide: Cops.”, “Public trial: Kerala college student dies by suicide after 2 days of assault”; CBI takes over probe...”, “Jadavpur University Ragging Death: 13 Arrested Accused Charged Under POCSO Act”; “Constitute district-level panels to check ragging in HEIs: UGC...” This news indicates the gravity of the situation as well as how safe our institutional campus is for our students today. Now is the time for admission to higher education institutes. So, as the time for ragging approaches, what is termed a social menace in educational institutes as well?

It is believed that ragging originated in several European universities when senior staff members would pull practical pranks on new students. The act of ragging spread over the world one by one. But over time, ragging became associated with unpleasant and damaging ideas and was strongly frowned upon. Ragging is now illegal in practically every country on the globe, and in others, like Canada and Japan, it has even been outlawed entirely. According to reports, Sri Lanka is the nation most severely impacted worldwide. However, there is no documentation indicating that this kind of behaviour was common in earlier Sri Lankan schools, but the idea of “ragging” emerged in the years following World War II. The phenomenon of ragging is not native to Sri Lanka; rather, it is a direct outcome of British colonization. After serving in the military, soldiers carried their experience of ragging, a tactic designed to make individuals fail as individuals and thrive as a team, back to college. Though fewer military personnel attended universities, the programme eventually lost focus on its original goals and developed into a dangerous and violent form. Even though ragging is now ingrained in Indian education, many people would be shocked to learn that it originated in the West.

In 2023, 511 incidences of ragging were reported nationwide, according to the UGC anti-ragging unit. In comparison, there were 810 cases reported in 2022; this is a considerable drop. There are probably other reasons for the drop in ragging instances, such as more public knowledge of the practice and the harsh punishments currently meted out to offenders. It is crucial to remember that the true number of ragging cases is probably far higher than the number that is formally reported. This is because a lot of students are reluctant to speak out about instances of ragging because they think their seniors or the college administration will take revenge.

The fact that students endure such painful events in spite of the fact that horrifying incidents of brutalization and even the murder of ragging victims (numerous incidents have been reported) have shaken civic society to its core highlights the flaws in the system that permit a vicious circle in which victims one year turn into offenders the next. In addition to bullying and harassing newcomers to enforce their subordination to seniors, the acts of ragging have taken on brutal and dangerous twisted forms, such as sexual abuse meant to dehumanise the victims. An act of indiscipline has now come to include aspects of criminal activity, by law.  It is clear that victims are not limited to first-year students and that harassment continues into the later months of the academic year, even if ragging is no longer a given on campuses.

In schools and universities, ragging was first used as a social interaction between seniors and juniors. But occasionally, these exchanges have been quite harsh, inhumane, and antisocial. There is a dreadful history of ragging, even at some of the most prestigious colleges and institutions. There are numerous aspects to ragging that are social, physical, political, economic, scholarly, and physiological. Ragging is a severe issue that can have terrible effects on those who are raged. No doubt, it is harmless induction as well as fun, but ragging can have a serious impact on the newcomers’ health and can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression. It can even lead to injury to the body and mind, and it can even be fatal.

What is ragging?

In India, ragging is defined by law as:

(i) Any unruly behaviour, whether through spoken or physical acts, that results in making fun of, treating rudely, or handling any other student;

(ii) Any unruly or disorderly behaviour that is upsetting, difficult, or detrimental to one’s mental health;

(iii) Create anxiety or fear of it in the minds of younger

(iv) Making students perform or do an act that they would not normally do in class, which has the consequence of making them feel ashamed or embarrassed and negatively affecting their physical or mental health

In its 2007 report, “The Menace of Ragging in Educational Institutions and Measures to Curb It,” the Supreme Court-appointed R.K. Raghavan Committee identified the causes and offered workable solutions. Ragging was correctly classified by the panel as “psychopathic behaviour and a reflection of deviant personalities.” To stop ragging, a University Grants Commission (UGC) committee suggested in 1999 using a “Prohibition, Prevention, and Punishment” strategy. However, as the Raghavan Committee noted, a lot of state legislation aims merely to make ragging illegal, not to prevent it. “While prevention must lead to prohibition, the reverse need not be true.” Even with “The UGC Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions 2009,” aside from requirements like organising freshmen orientations and requiring promises from the stakeholders, they have not done much to stop ragging in spite of “The UGC Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions 2009,” with the exception of formalities like hosting freshmen’s parties, requiring promises from parents and students not to engage in ragging, and posting “no-ragging” signs.

On the other hand, according to the UGC’s online complaint filing portal, any student can file a complaint about ragging “anonymously,” meaning that he can use the portal without even disclosing his identity and claim that he was the victim of acts of ragging. The authority is now required by law to look into the students who are the subject of the complaint. By anonymously reporting anyone, students may be able to abuse the site as a result of this law. Furthermore, anyone else, such as a buddy or batchmate, can use UGC’s anonymous complaint option to register a complaint against any student in the college by posing as a junior who has experienced the ragging. It is unclear, though, if the authorities will do anything to put an end to the fights, which are not considered “ragging.” The question of whether seniors are sadistic and whether freshmen become victims therefore comes up for discussion. Is it feasible that laws prohibiting ragging are being applied to resolve individual disputes?

It is observed that some teachers brought up the topic and said, “Nowadays, seniors feel frightened and juniors are in high spirits due to the anti-ragging rule.” Sometimes even there are complaints that smart freshmen’s play in such a way that they get some preferences in today’s activity, under the pretext of complaints to the commission. The first point of contact for victims should be teachers and wardens rather than parents who live far away. Institutions need to foster this supportive environment. To stop ragging, educational institutions need to take greater responsibility. This directly affects how each institution maintains its academic standards. The act of ragging should be discouraged, and students who engage in it should face harsh consequences. However, UGC should also consider the interests of the students who are negatively impacted by the baseless complaint, as the accused and victim are typically in their teens, and one complaint has the potential to ruin a student’s entire academic career.

Though there is news of severe punitive actions in extreme form in different institutes in our country, there is still no sign of a ragging-free campus. That’s a point of concern now. The authorities are naturally under tremendous pressure to control the ragging on the campus and are trying to protect the newcomers as well as create a newcomer-friendly environment on the campus with a newcomers’ friendly environment too.