Ragging in College: Fun or Harassment
February 20, 2009 – 6:22 pmScenario: Midnight, a group of keyed-up senior students, a group of new students, dreaded to the core, no hostel warden, no teachers. Seniors harass the new kids- physically, mentally, sexually, ask them to do anything and everything and the terrified ‘fucchas’ do that obediently.
Result: It happens for a week or two, and then the juniors and seniors are buddy-buddy (well, may be).
Implication: No one complaints, police obviously isn’t around, the harassers are saved. This would certainly reoccur, traumatized kids would suicide and the super-introvert would remain dreaded for some (major) part of their lives.
This isn’t seeded by some investigational study. The ‘no more ragging now’ order backed up by ‘severe punishment for the guilty’ from the Supreme Court instilled me to do a little research online. Much to my consternation, I found that violent ragging in Indian educational institutions has become an order of the day. Doing a pole dance, acting as a beggar, proposing a girl, getting the heads shaved and cleaning the floors, ragging methods in Indian educational institutions are becoming from notorious to offensive. And who’s there to put a stop? Does Supreme Court’s order serves as a deterrent for raggers? Despite the Supreme Court order, several suicides and upsetting stories capable of sending goose bumps, ragging has never stopped.
The seniors may opine that ragging sheds off juniors’ inhibitions, but the results have shown the opposite. Most of the victims have got even more traumatized, introvert and afraid of being in public, after they have been ragged. Activities like signing a song or cracking a joke is something that never harms anyone, but everything boils down to just one thing- a line needs to be drawn. Who will draw it? Students? Police? Law?