Rangareddy: Ragging rears its ugly head in some colleges

Rangareddy: The ragging of students, banned a few years ago, is making a comeback in educational institutions with the recent incident at a corporate college in Shankarpalli in the Chevella constituency where senior students were indulged in ragging by assaulting a junior. The institution has taken steps to prevent this incident from going public. The college management has acted on the ragging incident by suspending 12 students for one year.

Many colleges are reportedly not complying with the anti-ragging norms and laws. Instead, they are trying to hush up the ragging incidents to save the reputation of the college and the university.

In the process, they are mounting pressure on the students and the faculty to give in and ensure details of such incidents do not go beyond the four walls of the campuses.

There are several undergraduate- degree, engineering, PG, B.Ed., and pharmacy colleges in Ranga Reddy district. But anti-ragging committees are still not formed in several colleges. The universities concerned to which the colleges are affiliated turning a blind eye to such violations left the ragging incidents continue to happen.

On condition of anonymity, the Dean of Students welfare of a private university said, "We are powerless, particularly when the powerful people from the outside prevail over the management and top brass of the college asking to treat the incidents in a lenient way."

A former vice-chancellor of a state university pointed out that the anti-ragging laws provide the minute definition of covering every aspect and prescribe penalties and punishments. Besides, students have multiple options to approach. They can reach out to their college, and university authorities. Also, directly they can reach out to the online student grievance cell of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Once a complaint is lodged with the UGC, the university concerned should act on the complaint and submit its complaint report to the UGC.

The multiple options available for the students for the redressal of their grievances and accessing them would help reduce the incidents of ragging and ensure their college and university respond to their complaints timely.