[HT] Video campaign to curb ragging

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Swaha Sahoo,
New Delhi, July 14, 2008
Last Updated: 02:42 IST(14/7/2008)

For students, teachers and freshers of Delhi University, the message against ragging might be given through a video this session. Packed with images of youth and fun and backed with statistics on the dark side of ragging, the video has been made by NGO CURE (Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education).

CURE has been working closely with the Raghavan Committee, set up by the Supreme Court to monitor the measures being taken to prevent ragging in educational institutes across India.

“We plan to go to colleges and show the video to freshers, seniors and teachers so that they are sensitised towards what consist healthy interaction and how a simple joke might prove fatal for someone,” said Harsh Aggarwal, a member.

The video, which can also be accessed at www.noragging.com/video is based on detailed research by CURE. “Despite the Raghavan Committee guidelines, 89 cases of severe ragging were reported in 2007-08. There were 11 deaths and another five attempted suicides,” said Harsh.

Out of these cases, 21 per cent were of sexual abuse, 43 per cent led to physical injury while the rest were of verbal abuse. In 50 per cent cases police had intervened. “A comparison benchmark (statistics of last five years) reveals that nothing has changed. Rather the annual average in the last five years was 46 and there were 5.6 number of deaths,” said Harsh. “So we need more stringent measures to curb incidents of ragging,” he said.