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Anti Ragging Policy

Anti-Ragging

Ragging is a disturbing reality in the higher education system of our country. Despite the fact that over the years ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined careers of thousands of bright students, the practice is still perceived by many as a way of ‘familiarization’ and an ‘initiation into the real world’ for young college-going students.
Other organisations/bodies working in this field have also attempted to define ragging, the variety of definitions being reflective of differences in perspective.

Anti-Ragging Regulations and Measures

1. Aim

To ensure that no ragging takes place in the Institute premises, by promulgating and enforcing stringent anti-ragging measures, and making provisions for deterrent and hard punishment to defaulters.

2. References
  • Judgements of the Supreme Court of  India
  • Report of the R.K. Raghavan Committee appointed by the Supreme Court
  • Regulations and Guidelines from the University Grants Commission of India, andother sources
3. Ragging is a Grave Crime
Ragging is a cognizable offence (offence for which the police can arrest the offender without warrant). This heinous practice has caused deaths and suicides of many bright students in the recent past in India, forcing the Supreme Court to take a serious view of the menace, and recommend deterrent and justifiably harsh punishment to those guilty of ragging. So, a ragging complaint against a student, if found valid after investigation, can straightaway become a criminal case and land the perpetrator in serious trouble. The Institute is bound to take strong action against him or her, and regardless of this, the law of the land will catch up with the offender with hard punishment.
The excuse that ragging is a harmless interaction of senior students with juniors is no longer tenable. The so called induction sessions often cross all barriers of human decency and degenerate into gruesome incidents. This is viewed by experts as a serious flaw in the schooling and upbringing of the offenders.
According to clinical psychologists and counsellors, ragging can impact the victims in many ways. It can lead to negative repercussions like low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, a negative valuation of oneself and frustration at being helpless and not being able to defend oneself. This not only affects the academic performance of the individual, but brings down the prestige of the Institute in general.
As per the Supreme Court directive, the primary responsibility of preventing ragging rests with the educational institution itself, by sensitizing the students and parents on the highly immoral side of it, cautioning the students that indulging in ragging can dash all their career goals, and by taking stern action against the offenders.
Thus, our motto is: Zero Tolerance to Ragging! A firm NO to ragging in any form!!

We have put in place a structured mechanism to monitor ragging related issues and mete out the most stringent punishment to the wrong-doers. Most areas of our academic block are under constant camera surveillance; we have Anti-ragging Squads in the Institute and an Institute-level Anti-ragging Committee to oversee and enforce the anti-ragging regulations in letter and spirit.

The students will be divided into groups, and each group assigned to a Faculty Advisor who would take general care of the particular student group, and interact with them on a day to day basis. The freshers are encouraged to make full use of this, and interact with the Faculty Advisor on any academic or personal problem and seek help and counsel to overcome that.
4. What Constitutes Ragging

According to the Honourable Supreme Court of India, ragging means: “Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student, or asking the students to do any actor perform something which such student will not in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.”

Specifically,ragging constitutes any one or more of the following acts (the list is only illustrative):

(a) Any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating, or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student.

(b) Indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or are likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological or physical harm or to raise the fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or any other student.

(c) Asking the students to do or perform any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do, and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student.

(d) Any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any other student or fresher.

(e) Exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students.

(f) Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by other students.

(g) Any act of physical abuse including all of its variants, viz., sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, and forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person.

(h) Any act or abuse by spoken words, e-mails, posts, or public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill, or showing off power, authority or superiority, or passively participating in the discomfiture to any fresher or any other student.

(i) Any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority over any fresher.

5. Prohibition of Ragging
Ragging in any form is strictly prohibited
(a) within the Institute Campus including the Departments, Canteen, etc.,

(b) in Playgrounds, Transport Vehicles, etc.

6. Punishment
(a) By the Institute:
  • Cancellation of admission, suspension, rustication or expulsion from the Institute.
  • Filing FIR with the police.
  • Collective punishment may be imposed where the  persons involved are not identified.
(b) By the Law & Order Agencies:
Over and above the Institute-level action, there will be strong police and legal action. Ragging is a cognizable offence under the law of the land, and the Supreme Court has ruled that the punishment to be meted out has to be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent. According to relevant sections of the The Indian Penal Code (IPC), those found guilty of a ragging related offence can be punished with imprisonment or fine or both. The quantum of punishment varies with the gravity of the crime. For example, Section 323 which deals with the cases of voluntarily causing hurt, can lead to imprisonment up to one year or fine or both; Section 306 which deals with abetment to suicide, specifies the punishment as imprisonment up to ten years with or without fine. Some other sections of IPC in this context include Section 341 (wrongful restraint), Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 302 (murder), Section 307 (attempt to murder), etc.
7. General Instructions
(a) Anti-Ragging Committee:

The Institute has set up an Anti-Ragging Committee headed by a Senior Professor. It will comprise senior faculty members and staff.

This Committee will ensure that no incidents of ragging as given in this Regulation takes place, and it will also monitor and ensure that the instructions of this regulation are fully followed in letter and spirit at all times.
The Committee will also maintain the strictest vigil at all times and ensure that the Anti-Ragging Squad of the Institute carries out its functions properly. It will deliberate on the reports of the Anti-Ragging Squads or of any other person who witnesses the incident of ragging, or on the complaint of any fresher or other students, and determine the punishment, namely, Institute level disciplinary action or filing FIR with police or both.
(b) Institute-level Anti-Ragging Squad:

The Anti-Ragging Squad of the Institute comprises senior faculty members. Its function includes going around / patrolling the Departments, common areas of the Campus and other premises like playground, and maintain vigil at all times on all days and take action if they notice any incident of ragging or attempt at it.

The Anti-Ragging Squad also has the responsibility to investigate incidents of ragging and report it forthwith to the Anti-Ragging Committee. The Anti-Ragging Committee may also entrust the Squad with specific investigative jobs.
(c) Faculty Advisors:

Each student will be assigned to a Faculty Advisor. The Faculty Advisors would frequently interact  with the  students,  or  the  students  can  freely  approach  them  for  any  help  or  advice.

(d) Do’s and Don’ts for Fresher Students:
  • Be courteous to all. It will make a favorable impression of you.
  • Always speak the truth, but never be blunt.
  • Always keep your cell phone with you. Keep it on silent / vibration mode.
  • Load your cell phone with all important contact numbers of the Institute  / your parents.
8. Reporting of Ragging Incidents or Apprehension thereof  

Freshers are requested to report any ragging-related matter to the any faculty or staff member, Faculty Advisor, or any member of the Anti-Ragging Committee or Squads. Any fresher student who went through or is apprehensive of an impending ragging incident shall promptly report it to any member of the Anti-Ragging Squad or the Anti-Ragging Committee, or to the Staff Advisor, or any faculty member or staff by any means such as, in person, by phone call, by e-mail, by written note, etc. The written complaints may also be dropped in the drop boxes kept prominently for this purpose at various locations in the academic building. The complaints can even be anonymous.

9. Action Procedure
Anti-Ragging Patrol or Anti-Ragging Squads shall immediately report any incident of ragging or attempt or conspiracy for ragging, or any related complaint to the Anti-Ragging Committee. The Anti-Ragging Committee will consider the matter, investigate and take immediate action as per the situation.
10. Instructions to Parents
  • Instruct your wards to desist  from ragging freshers or other students in any form.
  • Keep regular contact with your wards and monitor their well being and academic progress.
  • Frequently  interact  with  the  Faculty  Advisor  and  other  faculty  members  to  track  the  welfare and progress of your wards (every student will have a faculty advisor).
11. Freshers’ Induction  

The academic session begins with a special two-week orientation-cum-induction programme to wean the freshers to the Education  system. This is a structured programme consisting of a variety of activities including discussions, cultural programmes, sports and yoga; the idea is to bring about healthy social interactions among students, faculty and staff, and to introduce the newcomers to the local environment and culture. The junior students are advised to take full advantage of this programme, and interact with their peers, seniors, teachers and other staff, and tide over any homesickness or other difficulties. The induction programme will culminate in the National Independence Day Celebration in which the freshers are encouraged to play a leading role.