DU: Major measures taken to prevent ragging and to maintain peace on campuses

Delhi University (DU) has implemented measures to maintain discipline from the new academic session. Women police officers in plain clothes will be placed outside the college campus along with anti-ragging posters across campus, a vigilance squad in every college and police pickets are among the measures that are to be implemented, stated a PTI report. 

On Friday, October 21, a meeting of the proctorial board of the University of Delhi took place to take measures for facilitating a smooth investiture of students during the opening of the new session. Officials from the Delhi Police and senior varsity officials were present at this meeting, as reported by PTI. A number of important decisions were taken during this meeting to ensure the maintenance of discipline and prevention of ragging on the varsity and college campuses next academic session, a senior in the university said, stated the report. 

"In this connection, the colleges and departments have been requested to strictly enforce the rules and regulations issued from time to time, especially the provisions of Ordinances XV-B, XV-C, and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (14 of 2013)," DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said. Gupta said that all students and hostel residents as well as their parents have been asked to give an undertaking regarding anti-ragging at the time of admission.

"The university will set up two Joint Control Rooms, one each in the North and South Campuses (North Campus Tel.No. 27667221 and South Campus Tel.No. 24119832), beginning from 2nd November 2022 till 11th November 2022," he said. "The anti-ragging posters in English and Hindi have been installed at the strategic locations in North and South Campuses, University of Delhi," he added as reported by PTI.

Gupta also said that the colleges, centres and the hostels have been requested to deny the entry of outsiders and to display the rules regarding the prohibition of ragging in their respective institutions. "All colleges, faculties, departments and hostels have been requested to form an anti-ragging, disciplinary committee and vigilance squad taking the help of NCC/NSS students volunteers wherever possible to monitor ragging," said Gupta. "There would be police pickets outside every college with special assistance being provided to women colleges," he noted, adding that any acts of indiscipline, or ragging will be dealt with strictly under the university's statutes, stated the PTI report. 

The report also stated that "Authorities were apprised of online ragging. They were suggested to report the complaint to the cyber crime wing," Gupta said. The Delhi Police has assured that women police in plain clothes will be deployed in the university as well as outside the premises of each college.

Students must ensure that their PG is duly verified by the local police since all such accommodation facilities are regularly monitored by the area police for the proper safety and security of the student residents, Gupta said, as reported by PTI.