Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

•Wardens must be accessible at all hours and, therefore, it is important that they be available on telephone and other modes of communication. They must be issued with mobile phones by the institutions and the details of their telephone number m ust be widely publicised. Similarly, the telephone numbers of the other important functionaries – heads of institutions, faculty members, members of the anti-ragging committees, district and sub-divisional authorities and State authorities where relevant, should also be widely disseminated for the needy to get in touch or seek help in emergencies.

•Brochures or booklets/leaflets distributed to each student at the beginning of each academic session for obtaining an undertaking not to indulge in or abet ragging shall contain the blueprint of prevention and methods of redress.

•The heads of institutions should be required to submit, to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, weekly reports during first three months of the reopening of the institution and thereafter reports each month on the status of compliance with anti-ragging measures.

•The Vice-Chancellor should submit fortnightly reports of the university-level monitoring cell to the State-level cell under the Chancellor. The fortnightly and weekly reports should be compulsorily shared with the media, so that ‘nil’ reports, if any, are in the public domain.

•Wide publicity, including mandatory hosting of information on the institutional website, should be given to such ‘nil’ reports so that the media acts as a ‘watchdog’ for feedback and citizens exercise their Right to Information, in case false claims are made by institutions to protect their “reputation”.

•Institutions must adhere to complaints in regard to ragging or any suo motu information in respect thereof, and action must be taken speedily. The complaints or information could be oral or written and even from third parties and the confidentiality of the source of information must be protected.

•Remedial action must be initiated and completed within the week of the incident itself so that complaints do not linger on and allow either interest in pursuing the matter to wane or enable the culprits to tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses.

•The pro forma that has been circulated by the UGC seeks information from the authorities on the key measures taken such as the formation of the anti-ragging committees and squads and also details of the enquiries conducted, punishment meted out and FIRs lodged by the institution.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail