Ragging is criminal offence: UGC directs to set up district level anti-ragging committee to curb menace

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked states to set up district level committees to curb the menace of ragging in higher educational institutions as part of ongoing measures for compliance of Supreme Court orders.

As per the Supreme Court orders, a district-level Anti-Ragging Committee shall be constituted with District Collector/ Deputy Commissioner/ District Magistrate as the head of the Committee.

Here is the list of other members of the Committee:

Head of concerned university/ college/institution

Superintendent of Police Additional district Magistrate (Member Secretary)

Representative of local media

Representative from district level non-governmental organisation (actively associated in youth development programs)

Representatives from students organisation

As per the guidelines, the local police and the local administration as well as the institutional authorities need to ensure an eye on incidents that may come with the definition of ragging.

In its latest notice, UGC has stated that the District Level Committee should hold preparatory meetings during summer vacation to take stock of the state of preparedness of each institution and their compliance with the polices and directions or guidelines of appropriate bodies; the university/state/central authorities; and Supreme Court’s guidelines in regard to curb the menace of ragging.

It is pertinent to mention here that ragging is a criminal offence and the UGC has framed Anti-Ragging Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Education Institutions 2009 in order to prohibit, prevent and eliminate the scourge of ragging.