...But ragging still continues at Nizam

Link to report

HYDERABAD: Days after a ragging incident that led to the murder of two third-year students of the Institute of Hotel Management, Vidyanagar, seniors are at it again.

This time at Nizam College, Basheerbagh. However, unlike the earlier incident, here juniors did not fly off in rage but reluctantly complied with all the whims of their seniors.

On Wednesday evening, first year students of Nizam College who started college on July 24 were confronted by their seniors on the college ground.

While some students said they were pulled out of classrooms and asked to sing and dance to their favourite songs, others claimed they were only asked to give their biodata to the seniors.

The usual demands from seniors like asking to be referred to as Sir and Madam or bowing or giving them a respectful 'Namaskaram' whenever the junior pass them on the campus were all listed out to be followed in the following days.

One junior was asked to play cricket, and not in a team but all by himself. He had to be the bowler, the batsman, fielder and even the umpire and keep the score too.

Some others were asked to make animal sounds, act like cats and dogs reflecting their behaviour and body language. In the wake of this incident, members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) went to the college.

Then they went to every classroom taking along with them posters that were made by the Hyderabad City Police last year against ragging.

The posters were circulated among all colleges then too, detailing the punishments that students caught doing ragging may face. The same posters were taken to each class and students were warned against ragging their juniors.

The freshers were told to feel free to complain either to their principal or to the police or any student organisation if they face ragging in or outside the college.

Principal S Satyanarayana, however, claimed no such incident came to his notice. Neither did students give any police complaint about it.

Yet, police were there on Thursday morning, picketing the college premises and ensuring no further instances of ragging occur.

Satyanarayana said he would conduct an anti-ragging seminar inviting top police personnel after August 15 by when all spot admissions would be over.

The NSUI, meanwhile, said it would go to all colleges in the city from Friday onwards spreading the anti-ragging message.