NGOs to monitor ragging in all colleges

Bengaluru: Following a sudden wave of ragging complaints across the country, the University Grants Commission in Delhi, the apex body for universities across the country, has decided to have its 24x7 anti-ragging helpline monitored by NGOs. The UGC has issued a nationwide circular, inviting proposals from NGOs with relevant work experience.

The NGO will be made the watchdog for anti-ragging activity and keep an eye on universities to see that adequate measures, as outlined by the Supreme Court, are being followed. It will also forward complaints received on the helpline to the respective colleges. This will be done through fortnightly reports to the UGC, reads the circular.

So far, the helpline has been monitored by the Ministry of Human Resources Department and the UGC. The idea is to make the helpline more efficient. The selected NGO will have to verify measures taken by colleges to prevent ragging.

It will also oversee awareness campaigns for freshers. All institutions must also constitute a Proctorial Committee, comprising senior faulty members and wardens, who will “take timely action and maintain a constant vigil on incidents of ragging”, said the UGC circular.

The circular was issued during a sudden flurry of ragging complaints taking place across the country. Bangalore University also sent out a notice to colleges in October, when two students from MS Ramaiah College of Engineering were badly beaten by their seniors. One boy, Sumanth Dubey (20), had to be rushed to an ICU for treatment.

Students agree that ragging is common and that there is no one to turn to. “Last week, two groups – one made of up hostelites and the other, day scholars – got into a fight just outside the college,” said a student from a prestigious engineering institution, on condition of anonymity. “The watchman didn't realise they were all students, so he shut the gates. The fight got so bad that the police had to break it up, but the boys refused to file complaints,” she said.

“There is very little anti-ragging work being done in Bengaluru,” said Ms Mahalakshmi Parathasar­athy, who runs Catalyst, an NGO that works with female college students and is also the director of the Namma Bengaluru Foundation. “There are several incidents, including girls being harassed, but there is nobody to turn to. None of the helplines we have are active, really,” she added.