Forgotten promise: PU fails to take action against ragging accused

Chandigarh, July 25 At the Panjab University, the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee, formed by the Supreme Court to monitor measures to prevent ragging, have no takers. All that the university authorities did in the recent ragging case was to suspend the students for seven days.
Incidentally, it is not only the ragging incident where the university officials acted in such a mild manner. After a group of students recently jumped the gate of the Vice-Chancellor’s office, only a a showcause notice was issued to those involved. Sources said action was initiated against the students only after the media picked up the issue.
The action raised eyebrows for it was in complete contradiction of the university’s decision to severely punish those involved in ragging.
In this case, a few second-year students of the UIET were found guilty of asking their juniors to strip and move around in the campus. The officials formed a committee to look into the matter. Sources say officials were eager to hush up the matter and term it as an ‘interactive session’.
The safety of students, too, has become a debatable question in the university. Rishi, a student, said: “There have been many instances of the students getting into fights but all we hear later is that the issue has been resolved. The university officials should take a serious note and take strict action so that such incidents are not repeated.”
Professor Naval Kishore, Dean, Social Welfare, said: “The committee did what they thought was best in the ragging incident. At the campus, we have a proper channel that is to be followed. The decisions are taken considering the gravity of the situation and we have no intentions to hush up matters.”