Freshers not welcome

Sir — Yet another precious life is lost due to ragging. Nineteen-year-old Aman Satya Kachru, a first-year student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda in Himachal Pradesh, died of injuries allegedly inflicted by his seniors (“Ragging row over medico death”, March 11). What is perhaps more appalling than the death is the fact that the college authorities had chosen to do nothing when Kachru had complained to them of harassment by his seniors the day before he died. Can an educational institution continue to be called so when it behaves in such a callous manner? Nothing less than life imprisonment would be punishment enough for the alleged perpetrators of the crime. The college authorities should also be punished for dereliction of duty.

Yours faithfully,
Debu Sen, Calcutta

Sir — It is not uncommon these days to come across reports of senior students in colleges and universities playing cruel practical jokes on their juniors and passing them off as ‘friendly’ ragging. Ragging has actually become a means used by senior students to exploit juniors with the purpose of indulging in bestial pleasures. Junior students are ragged physically and mentally. Sometimes they are stripped off their clothes and made to walk nude along hostel corridors. If they disobey, they are beaten black and blue by the seniors.

Ragging often causes promising but introverted students to return home. But the unpleasant memory of inhuman torture often creates a fear psychosis in them and this ultimately casts a shadow on their academic careers. Such ugly incidents of ragging generally take place in hostels of institutions teaching science, technology, medicine or law. I fail to understand how academically brilliant students can indulge in such immoral activities.

Recently, the Supreme Court has spoken out strongly against ragging. In spite of this, ragging continues unabated in our country. Perhaps the end to the problem can be brought about not by implementing laws but reordering our educational system. In the existing curricula of education, there are no provisions for the enhancement of moral or spiritual knowledge. An education so directed kills the beast in man and nurtures his finer feelings. We should remember that ragging is not a disease in itself but a symptom of a deep-seated social malady that can be diagnosed only by psychiatrists. The sooner it is done, the better. Or else, the lives of many a bright student like Aman Satya Kachru will be nipped in the bud, causing a colossal waste of human resources.

Yours faithfully,
Prabhas Kumar Gupta, Murshidabad

Sir — The incident of ragging that took place in the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College of Himachal Pradesh was outrageous and deserves the strongest condemnation from the concerned authorities. I am an eighteen-year-old student studying in Class XII. While reading about incidents of ragging, I always wonder about the peculiar nature of the pleasure that seniors derive from such nefarious activities. The government of all the states must impose strict laws to ensure that no more students meet the same fate as Aman Satya Kachru’s.

Yours faithfully,
Salik Miskat Borbora, Tezpur, Assam

Sir — Who is to be blamed for the death of Aman Satya Kachru — the college administration, the principal or the four accused who had allegedly beaten him up?

Surprisingly, the college authorities seem to be bothered in the least about the gravity of the situation. They are rather trying to save the four students. It should be noted that the four students arrested since Kachru’s death had had a complaint lodged against them earlier. But they had been let off with a token punishment.

Yours faithfully,
Atif Ayaz, Serampore

Sir — The menace of ragging cannot be arrested until an integrated step against it is taken by a committee especially set up for this purpose. Such a body should comprise of representatives from colleges and some local officers of the law, and it should function as an independent organization having the power to inspect campuses and deliver reports on the intelligence thus gathered. We all know that the Supreme Court, as well as various nodal agencies of the government monitoring higher education in India, have strong views against ragging. However, disapproval merely on paper is not enough. The court should make its censure felt by coming down strongly on the offenders. If college faculties insist on saving the offenders on the pretext that action against them would mar their lives and career, the problem of ragging can never be tackled. The authorities of colleges, particularly of money-minded private institutes, are always eager to preserve their reputation. They hide the cases of ragging lest exposure lessens the number of potential candidates. In such a situation, only the media can play the most meaningful role. If they keep on highlighting incidents of ragging and building up a campaign against the crime, many innocent lives might be saved in future.

Yours faithfully,
Bimal Prasad Mohapatra, Mayurbhanj, Orissa

Sir — It is a shameful paradox that wannabe doctors, who are studying medicine with the purpose of saving human lives, have allegedly beaten a junior to death. A new branch of study should be instituted to investigate why the upcoming generation, in spite of being talented, is sadistic in nature.

Yours faithfully,
Salil Gewali, Shillong

Sir — Every year, colleges throughout the country witness dreaded deeds committed by senior students against freshers who join the colleges for higher studies. Ragging has thus become the worst manner of interaction between the new entrants and the seniors. It has become the dirtiest exhibition of sadism and perversity.

The death of Aman Satya Kachru is indeed tragic. It is even more unfortunate that the incident took place despite Kachru complaint’s against the offenders to the college authorities. His death is clearly an instance of negligence by the authorities concerned and proves their failure to follow the Supreme Court’s guidelines. In fact, in spite of the apex court’s strictures, most universities and their affiliated colleges in India have not taken action against ragging.

The Supreme Court should take serious note of the fact that that its orders are not being followed. The institutions in which incidents of ragging are reported should be closed down. Students who rag need to be suspended from the colleges. If we cannot provide even the basic promise of security to a student, then what is the use of laws?

Yours faithfully,
Suman Kukal, Chandigarh