From regular advisories to follow-up action, the UGC is working on “continuous improvement” in its anti-ragging programme but it is also the responsibility of institutions to follow its regulations “in letter and spirit” to remove the menace, according to UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar. “Addressing the root cause of the ragging menace is equally essential. Weak implementation of anti-ragging regulations within institutions may give the perpetrators a safe passage,” he said. Kumar was responding to the findings of an investigation by The Indian Express that 78 students were named under “list of the suicide/ death cases alleged due to ragging” from January 2012 to October 2023 according to UGC data obtained under the RTI Act. Excerpts from an interview conducted over email. UGC regulations against ragging in colleges include Clause 9.4, which empowers the Commission to take action against colleges that fail to adequately prevent ragging. However, the UGC hasn’t invoked this provision against any college since its anti-ragging helpline was established in 2009. UGC has taken action on every complaint received by the helpline. Most of the cases are settled at the early stages of complaints. Even a few cases are settled in the first instance. As per the UGC Regulation, the helpline informs every complaint to the police along with the institutions about the ragging matters, and the police take action on the cases immediately. Most of the cases were resolved at the level of the institutions themselves. The cases that were not resolved were sub-judice. Therefore, UGC definitely takes action, as per point No. V of Clause No. 9.4, which is deemed fit in the matter (Note: Point V states: “Taking such other action within its powers as it may deem fit and impose such other penalties as may be provided in the Act for such duration of time as the Institution complies with the provisions of the Regulations”). Over a decade, the UGC helpline logged over 8,000 ragging complaints, with records showing a 208% surge from 2012 to 2022. Despite clear SC guidelines, even premier institutes are reporting ragging incidents. UGC has taken the anti-ragging awareness program in mission mode, and UGC has utilised all the media platforms to spread awareness amongst students and parents. The UGC has sent a number of communications to the institutions to make them aware of the regulations and their responsibilities as per the Anti-Ragging Regulations. At the institutional level, various steps were also taken to spread awareness and avoid incidents of ragging on-premises. Anti-ragging awareness has increased multifold, and this rise could reflect a growing awareness of ragging and a willingness among students to report incidents. It allows us to address the issue more effectively. However, it also signifies that ragging remains a persistent challenge. Addressing the root cause of the ragging menace is equally essential. Misconceptions about peer pressure can cause ragging incidents on campuses. The weak implementation of anti-ragging regulations within institutions may give the perpetrators a safe passage. To tackle all these issues, UGC is actively promoting preventive measures such as mandatory anti-ragging workshops and sensitisation programmes for students and faculty. All stakeholders need to work together to curtail the incidents of ragging. UGC is working closely with university administrations to enforce UGC Regulations. We also ensure that law enforcement agencies take strict legal action against the perpetrators. Student bodies also play a crucial role in promoting responsible behaviour and providing peer support. The UGC is working on continuous improvement in the anti-ragging efforts. We believe a combined priority on increased awareness, preventative measures, and collaborative action is critical to eliminating ragging from educational institutions. The anti-ragging helpline number was intended to operate 24 But there were complaints earlier that the number was either unreachable or the calls got disconnected. There were also allegations that the UGC had reduced the number of call attendants. The UGC takes all reports of helpline accessibility issues seriously. We want to reiterate that the UGC's Anti-Ragging Helpline operates 24/7 and provides crucial support to students. This is possible because a team of 8-9 members handles calls in three shifts throughout the year. Their commitment ensures that students facing ragging have a place to turn for help, any time of day. On average, 50% of complaints are resolved within seven working days. This demonstrates the helpline's efficiency in addressing straightforward cases, and 30% of complaints are resolved within a maximum of 15 working days. These might involve complexities requiring more investigation. The remaining 20% of complaints are resolved within 40 days. These are typically the most severe cases that may necessitate police involvement, reinvestigation by the institution, or additional inquiries. This shows the strong and growing effectiveness of the helpline. It is important to remember that the anti-ragging helpline is one of the components of our support system. We also encourage students to utilise other ways, such as online reporting, where students can submit a complaint anonymously through our secure portal, www.anti-ragging.in. They can also send a detailed report to our E-mail address: helpline@anti-ragging.in. We actively monitor social media platforms, news reports, and newspapers for potential ragging incidents and investigate such cases further. Our efforts have assisted numerous needy students, and we continuously work to improve its accessibility and effectiveness. The UGC has not reduced the number of call attendants before 2021 or after that. Several institutions have not listed details of their anti-ragging committees on the home page of their websites despite SC guidelines. The UGC is making all necessary steps so that institutions provide the information on the websites. The UGC is issuing advisories to ensure anti-ragging committee information on the home page. In this regard, we have also requested our monitoring agency and helpline to specifically make phone calls and ask institutions to update contact details on their websites. The UGC requires students to submit affidavits annually, pledging to refrain from ragging. RTI data spanning a decade reveals that only 4.49% of students complied with this through their academic tenure. The UGC is also working in this matter and issuing regular advisories to the educational institutions to ensure that the undertakings are filled out by the students. It is the responsibility of the institutions to follow UGC regulations on anti-ragging in letter and spirit to remove the menace of ragging from our campuses.
