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| AGSU members enact a street play at Handique Girls College as part of the campiagn on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos |
Aug. 3: The All Guwahati Students’ Union (AGSU) today organised street plays in different colleges here as part of their anti-ragging campaign in educational institutions.
The three-day campaign that started on Wednesday came to an end today with street plays being staged at Paschim Guwahati College, Guwahati College and Pragjyotish College.
On the first day, street plays were organised at Cotton College, Handique College, Gauhati Commerce College and B. Borooah College with students of various city colleges as actors.
AGSU general secretary Simanta Thakuria said they had covered almost all provincialised colleges here during the three-day campaign. “Through street plays we wanted to give the message that ragging was a punishable offence that everybody should avoid. It is a social menace and cannot be accepted,” Thakuria said.
Thakuria said they had also contacted principals of the colleges and urged them to take urgent measures to stop ragging.
The new academic session started from Wednesday in the 250-odd colleges under Gauhati University.
“Many students argue that ragging is just an introduction process and there is nothing to be afraid of. But in reality, the magnitude of ragging is far worse than what is imagined. Freshers are anyway nervous during the initial days in their new colleges. Harassing them in the name of introduction during this period cannot be accepted,” said a participant of the street play.
On the first day of the new session, Assam NSUI members also distributed white roses among the newcomers to help them overcome their nervousness.
UGC has defined ragging as any conduct, whether using words spoken or written, or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student and generate a sense of shame or embarrassment, adversely affecting the physique or psyche of the student.
The commission said ragging in all its forms was totally banned in the entire institution, including its departments, constituent units, all it premises (academic, residential, sports, canteen, among others) whether on the campus or outside and in all means of transportation of students whether public or private. It asked institutions to take strict action against those found guilty of ragging and or of abetting ragging.
In line with the UGC norms, some city colleges have put up hoardings cautioning against ragging on their campus.
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