[CNN-IBN] Sex, crime in the name of ragging

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New Delhi: Ragging is banned in schools and colleges. But the horrible practice continues to exist across the college campuses. “We were asked to strip, hold the genitals of other male students enact a rape scene,” says student (name withheld) of the Delhi University.

Victims, who tell they either had to quit or suffer quietly for there was nobody to take an action, share the ghastly experiences of harassments and sexual assault in the name of ‘ragging’. “I joined Kumaon engineering college in 2002. Violence, humiliation and filthy language were very much a part of ‘ragging’ right from day one,” says Rohit Kaler, a victim.

He adds, “At midnight seniors entered the hostel and asked two of my friends to strip and rub Vaseline on each others body. They asked us to take our genital imprints and carry those as identity proof with the genital measurements written on it.”

Rohit left the college in 50 days. This was five-years back, but things aren't any better even today. Now in a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court has prescribed severe penalties for even mild forms of ragging.

However, the practice is still rampant says CURE (Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education)—a website that wages war against ragging on the net.

The website states:

Over 60% of ragging cases reported are physical

* 20% cases are that of sexual harassment.

In (2005-07) 64 ragging cases were reported—from 61 colleges and 3 from schools . 62 per cent of the cases involved physical assault. In 13 per cent of the cases, sexual harassment was coupled with physical assault. 20 per cent of the cases were of sexual abuse while 5 per cent complained of verbal abuse.

After 11 deaths, 10 suicide attempts and 23 injuries all in just the last two years—the Supreme Court ruling seems to be just paperwork. The order says that the prospectus of colleges should clearly mention the punishments for ragging.

And an institution that fails to curb ragging can be de-recognized by the UGC/AICTE. But none of this has been implemented so far.

“It is important to realise that the ‘ragger’ is also a victim of ragging: not only was he ragged in his first year, he was later co-opted in a system of abuse and exploitation—one that legitimizes violence and oppression, drug abuse and alcoholism, all as 'student life',” says Shivam Vij, Stopragging.com.

When the institutions fail, cyberspace comes of great help. The independent groups have worked closely with the Raghavan committee, appointed by the HRD ministry to recommend ways to curb ragging in schools and colleges—all in the hope that what happened to Rohit will not happen to anyone again.