Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On ragging

The Supreme Court's directives to educational institutions to deal with ragging are welcome. It should be made mandatory for all universities and colleges to publish in their prospectus what activities constitute ragging and what punishment students indulging in ragging will have to face. It should be put up on notice boards too.

Sanjana Sukumar,
Tiruchi

A few incidents of suicide by students due to ragging have created fear in the minds of newcomers and their parents. No doubt, strict measures should be taken to curb this shameful act. But it must be borne in mind that the present generation is aggressive. Harsh action will only worsen the situation instead of controlling it. If ragging is to be eliminated, one must try to address the cause, not the effect.

Ishteyaaq Ahmad &
Sikha Ahmad,

Muzaffarpur

It is unfair that all attention is being given to ragging and demonstrations against it, ignoring instances of seniors in many colleges observing a self-imposed ban on the practice. I study in an institution where the seniors are more like kin. The harmonious culture on campus has been achieved not by passing any stringent law but by cultivating a healthy tradition. Instances of ragging are the result of the failure of the institutions concerned to provide value education. While the Court order is well intended, it cannot be considered a comprehensive solution to the menace.

Jimmy James,
Hyderabad

Ragging is an issue that is best left to students to sort out. Institutions can form panels consisting of senior students, department and hostel-wise, and charge them with the responsibility to counsel and guide. Freshers should be encouraged to approach them. Rigid fiats will only prove counterproductive. Ragging does not merit the attention of courts, much less an FIR.

R. Narayanan,
Ghaziabad

The R.K. Raghavan Committee has recommended that ragging be dealt with under a new section in the IPC. If implemented, the move will have a terrible impact on the future of many students. Ragging is a matter to be dealt with on the campus by the authorities concerned. First, let our governments put an end to the pending cases and then go for something that will put at stake the future of the upcoming generation.

Meenakshi Venugopal,
Thrissur

It is next to impossible to have personnel monitoring college campuses all over India. Ragging, subtle or violent, will continue to be part of college culture. Harmless ragging can be looked upon as a way to get to know people on the campus.

Shivaramakrishnan Pillai,
Chennai

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