Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Engg. college principals asked to prevent ragging

By R.Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD Sept. 4. Students pursuing professional courses in the State need to be more vigilant this time while making friends with juniors in the name of ragging.

In the light of the recent ragging incident in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where five students were expelled from the college for ragging their junior and the nationwide publicity it received, heads of all engineering colleges in the State have been asked to ensure that freshers are protected from the prying eyes of the seniors.

The recently held meeting of principals of 200-odd affiliated engineering colleges of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) discussed the issue and the principals were asked to give wide publicity to the Prevention of Ragging Act 1997 through posters and sensitisation programmes in their respective colleges.

``We instructed them to view the issue seriously and take preventive measures,'' says Y. Venkatrami Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, JNTU. The Act suggests that students should be informed about the menace of ragging through posters and seminars in all the colleges and the punishment.

Officials say that ragging incidents have largely been noticed in professional colleges in the State. Several such incidents were reported in medical, engineering and agriculture colleges even after the Prevention of Ragging Act came into being in 1997. Some girl students were named by the police in the incident in the Government Ayurvedic College in 1998. They apparently assisted their male friends in ragging a first year student.

Similarly, a student of B.Sc (Agriculture) of Acharya N.G.Ranga Agricultural University committed suicide allegedly after being ragged in the hostel. An incident was reported in the Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT) in 1999. And more recently was the incident in the Gandhi Medical College where a few seniors chose the crude method to make friends with a junior ultimately leading to their suspension. A girl student was also allegedly forced to drink wine in the same college while being ragged.

Several parents feel preventive measures can curb the menace. Sudhakar, a businessman, whose daughter got admission in a private engineering college says that college managements seldom bother about it and it reflects in the absence of anti-ragging posters and seminars in the colleges despite the Act suggesting such measures.

``The IIT Delhi incident woke us up from our slumber,'' admits a principal of a private engineering college. "We will take preventive steps and won't hesitate to take severe action if students are found guilty,'' he warns. A senior professor says that ragging is almost nil where the student unions have a strong presence. "In engineering and medical colleges, anti-ragging committees should be formed involving senior students,'' he suggests. He also recommends organising freshers' parties by the colleges at the start of the academic year to drive away fear among new students.

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