Activists claim UGC cell sitting on ragging plaints

Medical colleges figure disproportionately in the list of complaints to UGC's anti-ragging cell, but anti-ragging activists complain that the complaints don't always lead to action. They cite the complaint filed by first year students of JLN Medical College in Raipur about being forced to tonsure their heads and being slapped and physically harassed in the hostel as an example. No action has been taken on the complaint so far.

Within weeks of 2024 academic year starting on Oct 14, the anti-ragging cell has received over 55 complaints from medical colleges across India, which is almost 42% of total complaints received from all colleges. In 2024, of the 800 complaints received by the cell so far, 222 were from medical colleges and 230 from engineering and polytechnic colleges. This is despite the fact that there are just over 700 medical colleges compared to over 8,000 engineering and technology colleges.

In four cases from medical colleges, the victims took their own lives. Anti-ragging activists say UGC data doesn't even capture all incidents because you cannot register an anonymous complaint. "The reported case of severe ragging in RVRS Medical College in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, does not feature in UGC list of complaints though the students tried to complain. They insisted on the student identity being revealed and since the student was not willing to do so, the complaint does not figure in the list," explained Gaurav Singhal of Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE), a non-profit that works on preventing ragging.

"In case of JLN Medical College, Raipur, though the complaint was registered, no action was taken by UGC or college authorities. This college is notorious for ragging and equally infamous for an administration that refuses to act. The authorities summoned the entire first year batch and asked if anything was wrong," said Rupesh Kumar Jha, of SAVE.

Jha said that most complaints were made anonymously because if any student's identity was disclosed, seniors could mark him or her for even more severe ragging and abuse.

"This is a common problem. So, victims are scared. If you are serious about tackling ragging, anonymous complaints must be given importance. It is for the UGC or college authorities to investigate and verify the truth in such complaints. In JLN Medical college, the boys were forced to shave their heads. If students are going around in uniform with shaved heads or if all freshers have a peculiar hairstyle, it is evidence that ragging is going on. How can the college authority deny it?" asked Jha. "College authorities take it as a personal attack on them and almost never act on their own. Instead of being thankful that students are informing them that all is not well in the college, they victimize the complainant. This is why students cannot be expected to seek help from within the college. We must prevent ragging by implementing the detailed action plan mandated by the Supreme Court order in 2009," said Prof Rajendra Kachroo, the father of Aman Kachroo who died from violent ragging in 2009.

Neither the college authorities, nor National Medical Commission (NMC), UGC or health ministry responded to queries from TOI regarding inaction on complaints of ragging from the college.