The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sharpened its stance against ragging by formally recognising harassment via informal WhatsApp groups as a punishable offence. As reported by The Hindu, the regulatory body issued fresh guidelines to higher education institutions, underlining that even seemingly casual online spaces used by seniors to target juniors will come under anti-ragging regulations.
Officials highlighted a troubling pattern. Each year, dozens of complaints reach the UGC from first-year students who allege harassment by their seniors; a new trend gaining ground involves seniors forming private messaging groups to coerce or humiliate newcomers, which the UGC says directly amounts to ragging.
“In several cases, seniors form informal WhatsApp groups, contact juniors and subject them to mental harassment. This too amounts to ragging and will invite disciplinary measures,” the directive clearly stated.
The advisory did not stop at digital abuse. According to The Hindu, the UGC also pointed to instances where juniors were intimidated with threats of social exclusion if they did not comply with seniors’ demands.
It noted that forcing new students to cut their hair, endure long waking hours, or suffer verbal insults are some of the recurring practices that continue to plague campuses across India.
“These acts cause physical and psychological distress and are serious violations of anti-ragging regulations and completely unacceptable,” the commission asserted.
Taking a tough line, the UGC warned institutions that failure to clamp down on such misconduct could attract severe penalties, including the possibility of grants being withheld.
“Student safety on campus is paramount and non-negotiable,” the advisory stressed, leaving colleges with little doubt about the consequences of negligence.
