CHENNAI: Ten years after it became the first State in the country to pass a law to prevent ragging on campuses, Tamil Nadu seems to have learnt well from the bitter experiences of the past.

The R.K. Raghavan Committee, appointed by the Supreme Court to recommend ways of curbing the menace, has found the State to have done "a little better" than most others, especially in creating awareness about ragging.

"There was no one particular State which had completely eliminated the problem. In some cases, ragging had even taken the form of extreme sexual harassment. In Tamil Nadu, however, greater awareness among the public and the media was also a positive factor," Mr. Raghavan, who headed a seven-member panel, told The Hindu .

On Wednesday, based on the Raghavan committee recommendations, the Supreme Court had asked educational institutions across the country to deal with ragging "with an iron hand."

"In several instances, we found managements of educational institutions in various parts of the country had tried to suppress instances of ragging, at times even conniving with the abusers. The committee, apart from submitting its recommendations, will also take on the role of a watchdog now, rigorously monitoring implementation of the Supreme Court order by institutions," Mr. Raghavan said.

Some of the committee's recommendations, which will now have to be implemented, include allowing freshers to start classes two to three weeks ahead of seniors, mandatory submission of implementation reports by colleges to universities and mandatory assistance by institutions to parents of students who wish to file FIRs.

For students of city medical colleges who have borne the brunt of the menace, the apex court order could not have come at a better time.

"We were apprehensive about sending our daughter to medical college as we had feared for her safety. Now that the court order has come just ahead of the admission season, we need fear no more," S. Purushothaman, whose son was a victim of ragging in a city medical college three years ago, said.

Students relieved

Students of Stanley Medical College, who had deposed before the Raghavan Committee when it held its public hearing in Chennai in February, are relieved.

"Junior students can now look forward to being treated with dignity," one of them said.

Tamil Nadu will take a decision on implementing the recommendations after receiving a copy of the Supreme Court order, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said.

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