Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On ragging

This refers to the article “Ragging and its remedies” (Oct. 11). I welcome the approach recommended by Valson Thampu to tackle the menace. But unlike St. Stephen’s, many colleges ignore the undesirable actions of senior students. If not checked at the very outset, students can start indulging in more serious acts which involve criminality. However mild or positive ragging may be, it should be dealt with strictly because every student who indulges in it is aware that it is an offence.

Angelin S. Joseph,

Thrissur

While Mr. Thampu’s view that ragging should be treated as an internal matter of the educational institution is commendable, we must remember that it was the failure of educational institutions to control the menace that led to the institution of the Raghavan Committee.

R. Ramachandra Rao,

Hyderabad

Ragging has even led to deaths in the past. Many violent incidents have gone unreported. In many instances, educational institutions have denied the happenings outright. The tendency is to hush up the matter.

G. Premanand,

Visakhapatnam

I wish to respond to the article as a parent. There can be no justification for teasing another person for the heck of it. It is common knowledge that ragging has taken many lives and played havoc with the mental health of many. No teacher or educational institution has ever taken responsibility. In the incident at St. Stephen’s, the perpetrators were drunk which shows the indiscipline on campus.

K. Chandrasekaran,

Chennai

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