[Telegraph] Student unrest fear stalks JU

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OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

A fresh unrest is brewing at Jadavpur University, with the students hinting at protesting the authorities’ proposed move to curb ragging and disruption in academic activities.

“The authorities have proposed to keep first-year students in a separate hostel to stop ragging. We oppose the idea and have let our views known to the authorities,” said Abhisekh Chakraborty, the general secretary of the faculty of technology and engineering students union (Fetsu).

There are reports that the administration also wants to impose curbs on the venues and timings of cultural programmes, entry of outsiders and use of microphones on campus. The students are not happy with this move either.

“The authorities have said they would take us into confidence before announcing the decisions. We will launch protests if this does not happen,” asserted Fetsu vice-chairman Anujit Chakraborty.

The executive council of the university has appointed a committee to look into ways to enforce discipline, including curbing ragging and preventing disruption in academic activities, on campus.

Parthapratim Biswas, a senior teacher and member of the council, said the committee will meet shortly to finalise its proposals.

The university wants the cultural programmes organised by students to be held during the lean season on the academic calender. Besides, the soirees should not be held late at night.

The authorities also want to stop free entry of outsiders into the campus, especially at night.

“The university was on the boil after some students, accompanied by outsiders, raided a guard’s quarters on the campus and beat him up. The guard had asked the students not to smoke ganja during a cultural programme. We want to stop such incidents,” said an official.

People living around the university often complain that microphones are used on the campus even during Madhyamik and Higher Secondary exams. “We need to stop the practice immediately,” the official added. “Similar curbs on the use of microphones will be imposed on the employees’ union as well.”

[ExpressIndia] Father alleges caste prejudice behind IIT-K student’s suicide

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Express news service
Posted online: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 12:50:42

Kanpur, April 22 A week after Prashant Kumar, a student of the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur, committed suicide, his father alleged on Tuesday that ragging and “caste bias” in the institute drove his son to take the extreme step.

Speaking to mediapersons, Sunder Lal Kureel, father of the deceased, held the authorities of the institute responsible for his son’s death and said: “A major reason behind my son going into depression was the prevailing bias at the IIT-K. He often felt humiliated and ignored in the presence of students belonging to higher castes.”

He said that his son used to often complain about it during their telephonic conversations.

Demanding a CBI inquiry or a probe by an independent agency, Kureel, who is also the Regional Director in the Office of National Savings Institute, said that the counselling cell at the institute was dysfunctional. “On four occasions I visited the counselling cell but was surprised to find it locked every time,” he said, adding that ragging was rampant at the institute.

“My son was under tremendous pressure and he was in depression due to ragging carried out within the institute,” he said and added that his son was a bright student but fell victim of depression only after he got admission at the prestigious institute.

Kureel also questioned the authenticity of the suicide note purportedly written by his son. “Where is the suicide note? Before the parents could enter inside the room, the door had been broken. When I entered inside along with the SP (City), several things in the room were lying scattered,” he added.

The authorities of the IIT-K, however, quickly rejected Kureel’s allegations. Rejecting the alleged caste biasness at the institute Deputy Director Kripa Shankar said that academic pressure had led Kumar to commit suicide.

“Out of the five students who have committed suicide, three belonged to socially advanced strata of society,” Shankar said. He also showed a letter written by Kureel on November 11, 2007 in which the latter stated that Kumar was not in a sound physical and mental condition and should be hence exempted from appearing in the first semester examinations.

“At the same time, on ground of viral fever, Kureel was seeking a six-month leave for his son, which indicated that things were not as smooth as he has claimed,” added Shankar.

Shankar also said that the deceased had often contacted the counselling cell, which had advised him to take the required medical treatment. “But both Kumar and his father were unwilling to meet the guest faculty psychiatrist,” Shankar said, adding that despite depression, the student was reluctant to take proper medication. He also denied prevalence of ragging in the campus.

[NewIndPress] Plea to reopen Musaliar College

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Saturday April 19 2008 09:55 IST

Express News Service

PATHANAMTHITTA: The Parent-Teacher Association of the Musaliar College of Engineering and Technology has asked the college management to reopen the college on or before April 21.

The PTA will go on an agitation if the management fails to take steps to reopen the college on or before April 21. As a token protest, the PTA will hold a dharna in front of the college gate on April 22 if it fails to do so, the PTA has said.

The authorities should initiate action on the basis of the complaints filed by the management before the District Collector and District Superintendent of Police, the PTA said.

The PTA meeting held at the college auditorium on April 17 condemned the violent incidents that took place in the college.

The meeting urged the authorities to take action against the culprits behind the attack on the college. Probe should be ordered into the ragging incidents that took place in the college, it said.

[NewKerala] IIT Kanpur student commits suicide

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Kanpur, April 18 : A first-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, committed suicide Friday. His family blamed ragging for his extreme act but institute authorities denied the charge.

The body of Prashant Kumar was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room.

His father Sunder Lal Kureel said he had been suffering from depression after facing ragging in the campus. Institute director Sanjay Dhande, however, ruled out ragging as a factor and said the student had been suffering from a psychological ailment.

--- IANS

[NewKerala] Students indulging in ragging to face expulsion: Sud

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Chandigarh, Apr 14: Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister Tikshan Sud today issued direction to all Principals and staff of all government and private medical, dental, ayurvedic, homeopathy, para medical and nursing colleges to immediately expel students found indulging in the practice of ragging.

In a communiqué addressed to Vice Chancellor Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences, Director Medical Education and Research, Director Ayush and Principals of Medical Colleges, the Government has reiterated directions of the Minister to effectively ensure ban on ragging of new students in their respective institutes in the new session beginning next month.

The Minister said any laxity shown by management, administration, principal, faculty or staff in implementing the guidelines would be treated very seriously and would invite stern disciplinary action.

Making it imperative for the management to implement the latest guidelines of the Supreme Court, the Minister said the institutes were required to nominate medical superintendent as nodal officer to check ragging.

He said that old and senior students and their parents should be notified regarding new directions of the Supreme Court regarding ragging.

--- UNI

[ToI] JU's anti-ragging move for freshers

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10 Apr 2008, 0310 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: The executive council of Jadavpur University on Wednesday decided to crack down on ragging of freshers. All students taking admission as first year undergraduate boarders, will be allotted two hostels on the campus.

"This will enable us to check whether any untoward incident takes place with first year students on the campus," said executive council member Partha Pratim Biswas. The hostel block adjacent to Jadavpur police station will be reserved exclusively for students other than those in the first year, including postgraduate students.

The EC has also asked the teachers’ body to study the recommendations of the model guideline sent by the University Grants Commission regarding the appointment of teachers, who are more than 60 years old.

On Wednesday, the EC also passed the appointment to the post of a lecturer and a reader in the department of Physics.

A report was also placed before the EC regarding the molestation of a policeman’s daughter in front of Jadavpur police station by four students from the engineering and science faculty on March 31.

It will be discussed at the next meeting.

[CalcuttaNews] Ragging victim debarred from college hostel

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Calcutta News.Net
Sunday 6th April, 2008 (IANS)

A first-year engineering student was barred from his college hostel in Uttar Pradesh after he filed a complaint about ragging against his senior students.

The CEO of HR Institute of Engineering Technology, H.N. Kapoor, in an order served on the victim, Navin Singh, said his behaviour has brought ill-repute to the institute, and asked him to vacate the hostel room with immediate effect.

'It is very unfair. I suffered ragging at the hands of seniors and I am being punished. What did the management decide about them (seniors)? This is partial attitude of the institute,' Singh said.

Singh in his police complaint Wednesday last week named five second-year students - Rahul, Ayush, Ravi, Dheeraj and Nitish Tomar - for barging into his hostel room, beating him with iron rods, and causing him cigarette burns. The senior students allegedly said they were `ragging' him.

[ToI] Seniors give student cigarette burns

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5 Apr 2008, 1253 hrs IST,IANS

GHAZIABAD: A student of an engineering college here has filed a police complaint alleging that his five seniors in the name of ragging brutally beat him up and caused him cigarette burns.

Naveen Singh had taken admission at the HR Institute of Engineering Technology on Meerut Road as a B.Tech first-year student. After his admission, he escaped ragging as he had fever.

But senior students were looking for an opportunity to rag him. Five of them barged into his room at the hostel, armed with iron rods. After locking the room from inside, the seniors started beating him as a punishment for escaping them earlier. They then tattooed Naveen with burning cigarettes.

When he called up the institute chairman, he said he could not help as he was out of station. In the police complaint, Naveen Singh named his five tormentors. The police have not registered the case so far.

Upset at the police station officer, Naveen lodged a complaint with the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad.

But no action was initiated until Friday night.