[Telegraph] Ragging ban cuts little ice with CU

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OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Is Calcutta University lax in enforcing the ban on ragging?

The authorities deny it, though they are not abiding by a UGC rule that students seeking admission to postgraduate courses must sign a declaration stating that they will not rag juniors.

The UGC had issued circulars to all universities early this year, making it mandatory for students seeking admission to give an undertaking that they would not bully, harass, tease or humiliate anyone on the campus.

The admission form must have a section bearing the declaration that the students have to compulsorily sign. Besides, the prospectus distributed along with the admission form should refer to the ban on ragging.

The ban has been announced by the Centre and the Bengal and other state governments.

Jadavpur University and Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) have already introduced the system, but the admission forms being distributed by Calcutta University (CU) do not contain any section on ragging.

CU registrar Samir Bandyopadhyay said the authorities would inquire into the lapse, but claimed that ragging hardly occurs at the institute.

He admitted that the Union human resources development ministry, UGC and the state government have banned ragging and that signing the declaration by students has been made mandatory.

“We will find out why there is no word about ragging in the prospectus and the admission form for the 2007-08 postgraduate courses,” said Bandyopadhyay.

An official of the university said the UGC, in its circular, has clearly stated that “every institute must incorporate details about the ban on ragging in its prospectus and in the admission-related documents.”

Students seeking admission to CU’s postgraduate courses are being asked to give the following declaration: “...If I remain absent from the classes continuously for 10 days or intermittently for more than 50 per cent of classes held during any three consecutive weeks, my studentship will be automatically struck off from the rolls, according to admission rules of the university.”