NEW DELHI: Of 1,183 cases of ragging reported to the University Grants Commission (UGC) from universities and colleges in 2013 and 2014 from across the country, the police filed an FIR in 66 cases. The highest number of cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh for three years in a row, from 2012 to 2014.
In the absence of more detailed data on the complaints it was not possible to determine if UP has the highest number because of greater prevalence of ragging or being the most populous state, it has a larger student population compared to other states.
In 2013, the highest number of complaints were from Biju Patnaik University in Odisha and Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In 2014 the highest number of complaints were from Aryabhatta Knowledge University and Gaya College of Engineering, both in Patna, Bihar.
The data on ragging was revealed in a reply given by UGC to an RTI application filed by a student of the School of Law in KIIT University, Odisha, Rohit Kumar. "I had sought the information in December 2014 and I got a response only in May 2015. Such delay in replying is a contravention of the RTI law. I had applied through the online RTI portal on December 12 through email but the UGC office claims that it received my application only on April 30, 2015. Is an email delivered in 5 months?" asked Rohit.
According to the RTI reply, UGC received 640 complaints in 2013 and 543 in 2014 and an FIR was filed in nine cases in 2013 and in 57 cases in 2014. Rajendra Kachroo, father of ragging victim Aman Kachroo felt it was not necessary to file an FIR in all cases. "If the university authorities can resolve the matter by punishing the guilty students with suspension or such measures, that is good enough. An FIR will just mean that the matter drags on. But in the small percentage of cases that are not settled, the UGC ought to intervene and exercise its authority over the colleges, which it does not do," said Kachroo. He added that a large number of complaints coming in from UP and Bihar could be because there was a lot of violence and lawlessness in the colleges.
A TOI report in September 2014 based on data from the National Anti-Ragging Helpline (1800-180-522) revealed that between June 2009 and September 4, 2014, there were 509 complaints of ragging from Uttar Pradesh, the highest, followed by West Bengal with 341 complaints. Other states with high number of complaints in the same period included Orissa (266), Madhya Pradesh (263), Maharashtra (150), Tamil Nadu (143), Rajasthan (142) and Bihar (132). Delhi had reported only 57 cases.
"The worst scenario is in the medical colleges. Despite there being just about 400 colleges, they are not able to stop ragging in these institutions. The Medical Council of India which regulates medical colleges has no interest in the issue and has done nothing about this problem so far," said Kachroo.
In the absence of more detailed data on the complaints it was not possible to determine if UP has the highest number because of greater prevalence of ragging or being the most populous state, it has a larger student population compared to other states.
In 2013, the highest number of complaints were from Biju Patnaik University in Odisha and Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In 2014 the highest number of complaints were from Aryabhatta Knowledge University and Gaya College of Engineering, both in Patna, Bihar.
The data on ragging was revealed in a reply given by UGC to an RTI application filed by a student of the School of Law in KIIT University, Odisha, Rohit Kumar. "I had sought the information in December 2014 and I got a response only in May 2015. Such delay in replying is a contravention of the RTI law. I had applied through the online RTI portal on December 12 through email but the UGC office claims that it received my application only on April 30, 2015. Is an email delivered in 5 months?" asked Rohit.
According to the RTI reply, UGC received 640 complaints in 2013 and 543 in 2014 and an FIR was filed in nine cases in 2013 and in 57 cases in 2014. Rajendra Kachroo, father of ragging victim Aman Kachroo felt it was not necessary to file an FIR in all cases. "If the university authorities can resolve the matter by punishing the guilty students with suspension or such measures, that is good enough. An FIR will just mean that the matter drags on. But in the small percentage of cases that are not settled, the UGC ought to intervene and exercise its authority over the colleges, which it does not do," said Kachroo. He added that a large number of complaints coming in from UP and Bihar could be because there was a lot of violence and lawlessness in the colleges.
A TOI report in September 2014 based on data from the National Anti-Ragging Helpline (1800-180-522) revealed that between June 2009 and September 4, 2014, there were 509 complaints of ragging from Uttar Pradesh, the highest, followed by West Bengal with 341 complaints. Other states with high number of complaints in the same period included Orissa (266), Madhya Pradesh (263), Maharashtra (150), Tamil Nadu (143), Rajasthan (142) and Bihar (132). Delhi had reported only 57 cases.
"The worst scenario is in the medical colleges. Despite there being just about 400 colleges, they are not able to stop ragging in these institutions. The Medical Council of India which regulates medical colleges has no interest in the issue and has done nothing about this problem so far," said Kachroo.
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