When the Supreme Court of India called ragging a "human rights abuse in essence" on February 11, 2009, it was hailed by one and all. The ruling was based on the recommendations that were made by RK Raghavan, former director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who was heading a committee appointed by the government.
Ragging is a real menace wherein, senior students bully freshers or first-years. Sometimes, things tend to get out of hand. Like in the Pon Navarasu case in Tamil Nadu. When first-year medical student Pon Navarasu refused to lick the shoes of a senior in the year 1996, the junior was not only murdered, but surgical equipment was used to chop his body into several pieces and disposed of in different parts of the coastal state. Many have committed suicide as well like in 2006, the case of SP Manoj in Hyderabad.
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The committee was appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development and submitted its report in the year 2007. Some of the recommendations it made are:
- Awareness to be spread among not just juniors and seniors, but also lecturers and the public in general
- Conducting surprise checks and surveys
- A toll-free helpline for those who are ragged
- Criminal cases could be filed against those who ragged
- If the institution authorities are satisfied, the student can be suspended after given a chance to make their statement
More women
Digest this: As per a report by the United Nations, of the 2,80,000 scientists, engineers and technologists in research development institutions in India, only 14 per cent of them are women. Now, juxtapose this number against the fact that 43 per cent of the women actually enroll in STEM courses. To ensure that this doesn't become a trend, the United Nations declared February 11 as International Day of Women and Girls in Science to encourage an influx of girls and women into the fields of science. Because when we all contribute to the progress of the world, we get there faster.
