Now calling someone 'Bihari', 'Jaat', or 'Chinky-Pinky' will lead to ragging charges and strict guidelines of UGC implemented.
Now any comment on caste, color, language, or regionality will also be considered ragging. UGC has instructed all colleges to strictly follow anti-ragging rules.
Indian colleges and university campuses will now be more cautious about shameful incidents like ragging. University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued strict instructions to all higher education institutions that in cases of ragging, not only physical or mental harassment but any comment on language, region, caste, color, religion, sex, place of birth or economic background will also be considered ragging. That means now calling someone by narrow identities like 'Bihari', 'Jaat', 'Chinky-Pinky' will also be a legal offense.
Institutions on alert mode before new session
The admission process for the new session has started in universities across the country. Keeping this in mind, UGC has asked all the institutes, whether IIT, IIM, NIT, Medical, Law, Engineering or Management Colleges, to strictly follow the Anti-Ragging Regulation 2009 and the new revised guidelines.
Strictness will be seen in the campus
Now every institute will have to form an anti-ragging committee in its campus. This committee will conduct surprise inspections of places like canteen, hostel, toilet, bus stand. Apart from this, CCTV cameras will have to be installed in dark places i.e. corners where there is usually no surveillance. Communication and counseling with students will be done regularly, so that the danger of ragging can be sensed at the very beginning.
Awareness campaign will be done through videos
Where earlier students were made aware only through posters and workshops, now UGC will convey the message of anti-ragging to parents, students and teachers through short videos. The purpose of this step is to make the students strong at the emotional and mental level as well.
Changes in online application too
Now information about anti-ragging will have to be given in the college admission form and it will be mandatory to take an affidavit from the students and their parents that they will not indulge in ragging. This will be a legal document in which the student will promise in writing that he will not participate in any kind of ragging.
Information on the website for transparency
The names, mobile numbers, landlines, emails, etc. of the members of the anti-ragging committee will have to be made public on the website of every institute. If any kind of complaint comes, action will be taken immediately.
