[NewIndPress] ‘Severe action against ragging’

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Thursday June 26 2008 12:02 IST
D Daniel Raj

COIMBATORE: ‘Ragging will kill peace and joy.’ - reads the caption on a hoarding put at a private college on the outskirts of the city.

This academic year, colleges under the Bharathiar University (BU) have displayed hoardings and banners with the intention of putting the message across and curbing ragging on college campuses.

Along with the message, there is a warning and the punishment for those who indulge in ragging.

This is after the University Grants Commission (UGC), has come heavily on ragging and instructed all academic institutions to display such messages.

The boards are kept near the hostels and at the entrance to the college campus.

Some colleges have already held a meeting with the senior students and instructed them not to indulge in any ‘untoward incidents.’

The boards also mention the officials to be contacted along with their contact numbers.

In fact, the college prospectus or brochures should contain the number of ragging cases that took place on their campuses in the previous academic year and also the punishments awarded to them.

A source said that since the brochures were already printed,the direction from the UGC could not be included.

"We have put up three boards in prominent places, including one at the hostel, warning against ragging," said viceprincipal C K Venkatesh of CMS College of Science and Commerce, here, while talking to Express over phone.

"We have also obtained an undertaking from parents that their wards will not indulge in ragging," Venkatesh pointed out.

The first year students would be given the contact numbers of the heads of departments.

Vice-Chancellor of BU, Prof G Thiruvasagam, said all the colleges would be following the directive.

"In case of any ragging, the principal of the college will be held responsible as the Act on ragging is very powerful," Thiruvasagam said.

Accordingly, instructions have been given to all regulatory bodies like the UGC, All India Council for Technical Education and Medical Council of India for inclusion of a clause in the prospectus regarding punishment to students with expulsion etc, if found guilty of ragging.