[NewKerala] Central Commitee for strict criminal laws against ragging

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Bhopal, Feb 12: Voicing need for changing mindset of students about ragging, a Central Committee formed to suggest ways to end the practice today advocated framing of "strict criminal laws" against it.

Ragging should be completely banned. Centre and States should frame strict criminal laws to end the practice, Committee Chairman R K Raghavan told reporters after holding discussions with college Vice-Chancellors, Principals and students here.

The seven-member committee, formed after a Supreme Court ruling to suggest ways to end ragging in institutes of higher learning, was collecting inputs on every aspect of ragging by talking to various groups in different states, he said adding it will submit a report before the apex court in April.

Apart from advocating strict laws, the committee -- after visiting Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh ahead of its visit to Rajasthan and Kerala -- believes that there was a need to change the mindset of students about ragging, the former CBI Director said.

To a query, he said ragging can be stopped to a great extent by appointing specially trained Wardens in college hostels, identifying hostels situated outside the teaching institutes where students reside and creating awareness among students.

Around 90 per cent of victims refrain from reporting ragging due to fear of senior students or of being boycotted, Raghavan said adding these students should be sheltered.

On steps against ragging in Madhya Pradesh, he claimed to be impressed by the "zero tolerance policy" adopted by the state and increased involvement of police in preventing it.

--- PTI

[Hindu] Anti-ragging committee to focus on hostels

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Parul Sharma

Embarks on tour to garner public opinion on the issue

NEW DELHI: The anti-ragging committee set up recently by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry will focus particularly on hostels of various educational institutions across the country that are often the hub of ragging activities.

"Apart from looking at the detailed aspects of ragging like why it happens and during what time of the day, we will also study why it is so prominent in medical and engineering colleges, especially hostels. It is quite well known that it is rampant in hostels. We want to put an end to that," says the Principal of Delhi University's Ramjas College, Rajender Prasad, one of the members of the Committee.

Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director R. K. Raghavan heads the seven-member Committee. The Supreme Court last November had directed the HRD Ministry to constitute the committee to look into the nuisance of ragging. The Committee embarked on a month-long tour this past Monday and would be travelling to various cities and towns across the country to garner public opinion on the issue.

"We are clear about one thing that we have to stop ragging altogether. We will talk to the faculty, the students and see what can be done to prevent it. We will also examine the sociological and psychological reasons behind this menace," says Dr. Prasad.

The terms of reference of the Committee include studying various aspects of ragging, means and methods to prevent it, possible action that can be taken against those who indulge in it, and action against colleges and university authorities in the event of ragging. "We will examine what is the exact definition of ragging and how it is different from `hazing' that is the way of initiation in a social group in the United States and Canada," he adds.

The Committee will submit its report to the Supreme Court by April 4, the deadline fixed by the apex court. Other members of the Committee are: IIT (Kanpur) Director S. G. Dhande; Maulana Azad Medical College Dean A. K. Agarwal; SNDT Women's University (Mumbai) Vice-Chancellor Chandra Krishnamurthy; and former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, S. Sathikh. The Central Department of Education Joint Secretary Sunil Kumar is the member-secretary of the Committee.

[Hindu] Panel on ragging invites views from public

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New Delhi, Feb. 9 (PTI): A committee formed by the HRD Ministry to look into the issue of ragging in educational institutions today sought public suggestions on the issue.

The nine-member committee, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, will broadly examine means and methods of ragging, possible action against the perpetrators and against the authorities of college or the university where such incidents come to notice.

Public discussion on the issue will be held in Bhopal on February 12 and the committee will take suggestions in verbal or written form, officials said. The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry on November 27 last had formed the anti-ragging committee following an order from the Supreme Court on the matter.

[ExpressIndia] Centre for anti-ragging panel in educational institutions

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EYE ON RAGGING: THE COMMITTEE WILL BE VISITING ALL MAJOR METROS IN THE COUNTRY BUT THE INSTITUTIONS TO BE VISITED WILL BE FIXED BY THE RESPECTIVE STATE GOVERNMENTS

Express News Service

Kolkata, February 6: The Anti-Ragging Committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development under an act passed by the Supreme Court on November 27, 2006, has suggested that different universities, colleges and educational institutions form an anti-ragging committee that should not only have students’ representatives but should also be amply represented by guardians, parents and teachers.

The committee, chaired by R K Raghavan, former director of CBI, visited Jadavpur University and met the students and teachers today. Then the committee had an extended conference with representatives from different colleges and universities at Bikash Bhavan.

The committee also recommended that the various educational institutions should take the initiative to encourage an amicable relationship between freshers and seniors.

However, referring to a positive change, chairman Raghavan said, “In the last 20 years incidents of ragging has reduced to a great extent. This is because the authorities in the educational institutions have been taking extensive anti-ragging measures.”

The committee will be visiting all major metros in the country but the institutions to be visited will be fixed by the respective state governments. A cumulative report prepared by the committee on the basis of all the meetings and discussions in the cities will be submitted before the apex court in April. Yesterday the committee had visited Guwahati in Assam.

Earlier in the day, the committee held discussions with students and teachers at the Jadavpur University campus. When the committee members asked the students about any recent incidents of ragging, the students were fast to answer that no such incidents happen in either the JU campus or in the hostel.

On why was JU chosen as the preferred university for the visit, Raghavan said, “Jadavpur University is a prestigious and acclaimed institution and it does have a history of severe ragging. But now this place is a model of peace and harmonious relation that has developed between students and teachers. All institutions should take example from this place.”

The other members in the committee are Sanjay Govind Dhande, director of IIT Kanpur, A K Agarwal, Dean of Maulana Azad Medical College, Dr Rajendra Prasad, principal of Ramjas College, Chandra Krishnamurthy, vice chancellor of SNDT Women’s University (Mumbai), A Sathikh, former vice-chancellor, Madras University, and Sunil Kumar, joint secretary of the Union education department.

The committee has been constituted to formulate means and methods to prevent ragging. It aims at suggesting possible actions that can be taken against persons, or even the college and university authorities for ragging. It will consider all aspects relating to the conduct of students indulged in ragging which also might affect the atmosphere in educational institutions.

Among those present at the meeting at Bikash Bhavan were Nikhil Ranjan Banerjea, VC, Shibpur BE College, and Father P C Mathew, principal of St Xaviers’ College.

[NewIndPress] Case registered against two

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Sunday February 4 2007 12:24 IST

KOLLAM: Kollam East Police have charged a case of attempt to murder against two persons recognisable to the girl who was a victim of SME ragging case, for the attack on her, which is said to have occurred the other day.

However, it is said that the chances of the girl being attacked inside the hostel of the School of Nursing of SIMS is nearly impossible as the hostel is heavily guarded during night time.

[PeninsulaOnline] Ragging victim found with slashed vein

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Web posted at: 2/3/2007 3:9:29
Source ::: The Peninsula

Thiruvananthapuram • A female nursing student, who had changed her college after being ragged, was found with a slashed vein at the SN Trust Nursing College hostel at Kollam, yesterday. The 19-year-old victim was out of danger, according to hospital authorities.

The second year nursing student told the police that unidentified assailants had attacked her in the hostel toilet around Thursday midnight. But the victim’s version was rebutted by her roommates who alleged it was a self-inflicted wound, possibly a suicide bid. The police said the hostel premises were secure enough that outsiders would find it difficult to sneak in without alerting the inmates.

The ragging incident at the School of Medical Education last year had kicked off a major controversy, first with the Opposition student unions unleashing a campaign against the “indifference” of the school authorities and later on account of the Court direction, asking the victim also to take a lie-detector test.

The Kottayam police had charge-sheeted nine persons, including six students, on the basis of their investigations and the complaint filed by the victim. The prosecution had charged Renjit Varghese, a senior student, with raping the student at the college, run by Mahatma Gandhi University.

The then Congress-led Government placed two officials under suspension, after which the college expelled the accused students.

On June 2 last year, Justice J M James of the High Court directed both assailants and the victim to subject themselves to scientific investigation, after noting discrepancies in statements made by the victim and parents. The new Left Government filed an appeal against the High Court’s verdict.

The judgment was significant since the higher judiciary in the country had laid down landmark judgments that allow the police to proceed in rape cases, taking the victim’s statement at face value.

Women’s organisations have held that the victim of rape should not be subjected further stress on the account of evidence-taking since she was already traumatised by the first tragic experience.

The victim hails from a poor family and had joined the graduate nursing course programme in the hope of landing an overseas job.

[NDTV] Medical students suspended for ragging

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Press Trust Of India

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 (Chennai):

Twenty-one students of Stanley Medical College in Chennai have been suspended for allegedly ragging their juniors, college principal Mustaf Hamedkhan said on Tuesday.

These students had allegedly asked their juniors to come dressed as women on January 19, he told reporters.

He said he had summoned the parents of the suspended students before taking action, but nobody turned up.

Under the Prevention of Ragging Act, students could be imprisoned for two years with a fine upto Rs 10,000.

Tamil Nadu was one of the few states, which had banned ragging and enacted a law to this effect. This followed a suicide by a girl student of a college here a few years back, after she was ragged.