From advisory to legally binding: UGC frames new anti-ragging rules

Days after alleged ragging murder of a medical student in Himachal Pradesh,the University Grants Commission UGC has decided to replace its two-decade-old guidelines....

Days after alleged ragging murder of a medical student in Himachal Pradesh,the University Grants Commission UGC has decided to replace its two-decade-old guidelines on ragging with stringent legally enforceable regulations. Expected to be in place in the next academic session,these include punishing institutions for failing to check ragging to awarding incentives to those who create a positive environment for freshers.

So far our guidelines were essentially advisory. Now there will be full-fledged legally enforceable regulations. Compulsory counseling for students and fostering a positive environment will be our top priority,said a UGC official.

The new regulations will borrow from the Raghavan Committees suggestions linking grants to record on ragging. To finetune these,the UGC will consult all regulatory bodies,including the All India Council for Technical Education,National Council for Teachers Education and the Medical Council of India.

A three-member team will visit Tanda tomorrow to probe the death of 19-year-old Aman Kachroo at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College. The team includes a senior doctor from AIIMS,joint secreatry of the MCI and a professor from CMC Ludhiana. They will submit their report by Monday, said Ketan Desai,MCI president.

Its too premature to say what went wrong. But colleges were supposed to adhere to guidelines which were sent to all 289 medical colleges in February this year, said Dr A R N Setalvad,Secretary,MCI. These new guidelines were formulated after a Supreme Court order last year.

As per these,each student admitted must furnish a character certificate from the institution he/she qualified from; presence of professional counselors for freshers; a gap of one to two weeks between freshers and seniors joining dates; a mandatory anti-ragging committee and anti-ragging squad of senior teachers,representatives of civil,police and local media; making it mandatory for an institution to file an FIR if a ragging victim or his/her parents are not satisfied with action taken by the head of the institution.