Anti-ragging helpline has failed medical college students; need national law: SC lawyer

NEW DELHI: In the last few months, medical colleges around the country have witnessed a sudden rise in ragging cases with the victims even taking their lives in some cases, allegedly due to the humiliation and violence faced at the hands of their peers.

To understand the current wave of campus harassment and the factors responsible for the grim situation, Careers360 spoke with Advocate Meera Kaura Patel, the legal head of Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE), a non-government organisation, which is working towards curbing ragging incidents on campus while helping victims seek justice. Edited excerpts:

What is driving the spurt in ragging cases across India, especially in medical colleges?

We indeed see a sudden spurt all over, not just medical colleges. The number of ragging incidents is slightly more in medical and engineering, which has always been the case. This is because those pursuing these courses usually live in hostels attached to their college.

One reason for this trend, obviously, is that there is less vigilance. The college authorities have maybe taken a slightly lenient stance, and they're not implementing UGC regulations in the manner they are supposed to be implemented.

For example, the regulations offer certain guidance on maintaining hostel blocks, including installation of CCTV cameras and segregation of hostels. Colleges feel that they don't have the requisite infrastructure and as a result, senior and junior students are housed in the same blocks. Some of the colleges do not have full-time wardens, even though strict vigilance is needed for at least the initial 4-5 months after the college opens.

The second reason is the attitude of the college authorities in general that tends to condone ragging.

Is there any romanticisation about ragging among college authorities?

People tend to get nostalgic about their own college memories, compare their ragging cases or incidents in the past. But the nature of ragging that is taking place now on campus has taken a different colour altogether. A lot of human rights violations are occurring.

For example, there was a recent complaint of ragging from RVRS College in Bhilwara where college authorities aren't doing anything. The students have been writing to us about them being made to lick condoms while juniors are being stripped.

If a woman were involved here, this would have been an offense. But there's no such provision for boys in the Indian Penal Code [now Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita].

Is there any stigma attached to registering a complaint about such incidents, especially for male students?

Male students would feel very embarrassed discussing these things with anyone. They can't tell their parents. If they disclose it to college authorities, they try to underplay it saying that they're [giving] the institute a bad name. Everything is brushed under the carpet.

Parents do not take it seriously unless some line is crossed (physical or sexual assault). In any case, both male and female students are too embarrassed to tell their parents. And even when the parents interfere, the institutes don't really show much seriousness unless third parties like SAVE start getting involved. But some colleges don't even give into that pressure because we are not any institutional body with the government.

What are the other hurdles in preventing and reporting ragging incidents?

In the Supreme Court judgment on ragging, it was said that there should be a provision for anonymous reporting. The anti-ragging helpline was created for this purpose. Until a few years ago, the helpline was being monitored by Aman Satya Kachroo Trust (AKST) and Raj Kachroo (the anti-ragging crusader who lost his 19-year old son Aman to a brutal beating by seniors in 2009).

Those manning the helpline now aren't trained. They insist that the victims disclose their identity, which is against the very purpose of the helpline. So, the victims are now afraid to report the incidents. The preventive measures that the colleges were supposed to take are a far cry.

All the states should recognise ragging as a cognizable offence, and they should bring out their respective legislations. Though some states have it, others are yet to follow. We need a national legislation which is effective all over India to bring uniformity.

What explains this reluctance or defiance of institutes to act on these complaints?

Some of the institutions are funded by the government and risk losing funds if ragging incidents are reported on their campus. But they should realise that ragging affects the education standard because students can't realise their full potential unless they are in a violence-free environment.

There is really no compliance report on ragging that the institutes submit to any centralised body. And as far as universities are concerned, they have a vested interest in not disclosing these incidents because they obviously don't want to damage their reputation.

Another factor is the lenient attitude towards students who are adults and should be treated like one. The perpetrators are mostly senior students who have attained the age of maturity.

Could the recent rise in ragging incidents be a result of better reporting, not necessarily to authorities, but maybe to organisations like yours?

I don't think so. In fact, I feel that cases are still very underreported.

In the aftermath of the Aman Kachroo incident, there was a heightened awareness around this issue. Do you feel that it has fizzled out over the years?

That's correct. Everybody was concerned at the time. There were follow-ups and even the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the matter. There were country-wide discussions.

But now I feel we are in a state of anarchy with the kind of cases and complaints we are receiving. Being a non-profit, with no funding from the government, we struggle to manage.

The victims need a lot of hand-holding, support and counselling. The anti-ragging helpline staff should be sensitised.

Have you seen any activity around changing the culture and discourse around ragging in educational institutes?

This was the very suggestion made by the Raghvan Committee [appointed by SC in 2009] on ragging, that we should not penalise these students and try more interactive sessions.

But I don't think that's really working. The most worrying aspect is that these people are going to turn into doctors. This is an issue of temperament. These people need psychiatric treatment more than penal action.

The problem is that institutes don't want to act. They can have an in-house counseling session for people who need treatment. While those actually bullying are a few, it has morphed in the form of a tradition of violence which we inherit from our predecessors and then pass on. Many do not indulge in it, but are happy to witness it.

You mentioned the sexual nature of ragging incidents.

Yes, in some cases. There's also a lot of suppression of sexual independence and as a result it manifests in ragging. It shows a sexual personality of a person where you are trying to dominate someone. It's very demeaning.

What's the extent of ragging cases among women?

They are prevalent in women's hostels too. And I feel sexual aspects are penetrating in these places too. Maybe not to the extent of men's hostels, but no hostel is immune.

Apart from the severity and sexual nature of the recent incidents, have you noticed any particular trend?

What we are struggling with of late is that we don't see the anti-ragging helpline being very cordial with us when we reach out to them. When Kachroo was monitoring the helpline, they were cordial and we could complain when it didn't work properly. But the current crop of staff is very non-cooperative. And when we try to point it out, they feel we are doing it at the behest of Kachroo, which is totally inaccurate.