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Ragging happening outside the campus is also going unnoticed, as the university authorities do not want to get involved in such cases.

The story was not much different at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences under Kerala Agricultural University. Manu, 18, a first-year student, was allegedly tormented by his seniors in October. Unable to bear the torture, the Police said that Manu attempted suicide by slashing his wrist.

With the anti-ragging measures in limbo, the menace goes unchecked thanks to the apathy of the university and college authorities.

Even months after the R.K. Raghavan Committee against ragging submitted its report to the Supreme Court, majority of the educational institutions are yet to implement the recommendations. The delay has come at a time when the number of victims of ragging is on the rise. And the University Grants Commission has finally sounded the warning signal to the universities and colleges in the country.

All universities have been asked to submit a compliance report on the anti-ragging measures taken by November 28. In a circular issued on November 20, the UGC made it clear that representatives of universities that fail to comply with the directives may have to appear directly before the apex court in this context. It also noted that the Raghavan Committee, which met earlier this month, had taken a ‘serious view’ of the slow progress being made in implementing these measures.

In its voluminous report submitted to the apex court earlier, the committee directed every institution to have an anti-ragging committee and an anti-ragging squad.

The anti-ragging committee at the level of the institution should consist of the representatives of civil and police administration, local media, non-government organisations involved in youth activities, faculty members, parents, students belonging to the freshers’ category as well as seniors, non-teaching staff and it should be headed by the head of the institution.

It is reliably learnt that majority of the educational institutions have not formed such committees on their campuses. The squad is supposed to conduct surprise raids on hostels and other ‘hot spots.’

Barring a few initiatives, no major attempt has been made to launch such lightning squads in government and self-financing colleges in the State.

At the district-level, the committee recommended an anti-ragging committee consisting of the heads of higher education institutions, as members. It should be headed by the District Collector/Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate and should also have the Superintendent of Police/ SSP of the district as a member.

The district-level committee should hold preparatory meetings during the summer vacation to take stock of the state of preparedness of each institution and its compliance with the policies and directions or guidelines of the appropriate bodies, the university/State/Central authorities; and the apex court’s guidelines related to curbing the menace of ragging.

Investigation by The Hindu-EducationPlus found that the committees’ activities are largely confined to paper. Senior district administration officials said that such bodies had not met even after a series of ragging cases were reported from places like Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur. Senior university and college officials admitted there was delay in complying with the committee guidelines.

Several colleges have failed to engage or seek the assistance of professional counsellors at the time of admissions to counsel ‘freshers’ in order to prepare them for the life ahead, particularly for adjusting to the life in hostels.

Joint sensitisation programmes and counselling of both freshers and seniors by a professional counsellor are also pending.

The committee had recommended that as far as possible faculty members should dine with the hostel residents to instil a feeling of confidence among the fresh residents. Inquiries have revealed that there was little compliance in this regard.

Ragging happening outside the campus is also going unnoticed, as the university authorities do not want to get involved in such cases.

Based on its inference that ragging is rampant outside the campus, the committee recommended that private, commercially managed lodges or hostels outside campuses must be registered with the local police authorities and permission to start such hostels or register them must necessarily be recommended by the heads of educational institutions.

It should be mandatory for both local police, local administration as well the institutional authorities to ensure vigil in connection with incidents that may come within the definition of ragging.

Managements of such private hostels should be responsible for non-reporting of cases of ragging in their premises. Local authorities as well as the institutional authorities should be responsible for action in the event of ragging in such premises, just as they would be for incidents within campuses, the committee said.

Senior Kochi City Police officials said that the list of lodges and private houses offering student accommodation remains incomplete. There is no proper mechanism to check the mushrooming private hostels outside various campuses, they said.

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