JU draws up anti-ragging code after complaint

KOLKATA: A ragging complaint against senior students of Jadavpur University's architecture department prompted the authorities on Thursday to

draw up guidelines to prevent ragging on campus.

On Wednesday evening, the seniors allegedly abused some department freshers and forc-ed them to take drags from cigarettes. The traumatized students, who included girls, lodg-ed a complaint with departme-nt dean Manoj Kumar Mitra.

On Thursday, the dean requested the department head and other teachers to meet the seniors. “We tried to explain to them the gravity of the offence and scolded them. However, no specific complaint has been lodged,” said an official.

Informed about the incident, vice-chancellor Pradip Narayan Ghosh convened a meeting of department heads and deans of all three faculties. Guidelines were drawn up to prevent ragging. The department heads were asked to brief teachers and monitor their respective departments.

As per guidelines, every department has to form an anti-ragging squad. Student-teacher committees will be extended to include more students. A meeting will be convened to spell out Supreme Court guidelines on ragging and JU's stand on the issue. Teachers have been asked to ensure freshers don't get free periods in between classes when they can fall prey to ragging. “We've also requested teachers to ensure freshers leave campus immediately after classes end,” said Mitra.

The V-C said no formal co-mplaint had been recorded yet. “If anything is serious, the registrar will take necessary action against the culprits.” The V-C will decide on the course of action. “He may form a separate investigation committee or even ask the existing anti-ragging committee to initiate a process,” an official said.

Pro V-C Siddhartha Dutta added: “Classes of the engineering department have commenced only from July 14. It is a case of campus ragging, not hostel ragging