The Supreme Court taking steps to put an end to the social evil of ragging is welcome. But Karnataka can rightly be proud of being the pioneer, taking, exactly a decade ago, almost fool-proof, far-reaching measures to curb it effectively. The result is there for all to see. Ragging has virtually been banished from the state.

More gratifying, these measures have been a model for the country and have been adopted by a committee set up by the apex court to go into this evil. The All-India Council for Technical Education has endorsed them.
It is my good fortune that the Karnataka government evolved these measures under my guidance, when I was higher education minister in the J H Patel Cabinet in the late 90s.

Till I took these measures, ragging had raged in Karnataka’s institutions of higher education. It is still an all-India phenomenon, prevailing in many other states. It takes various forms — from simple to crude and to dangerous. From teasing to physical assault and many a time to sexual harassment. It is reported mainly from medical, engineering and other professional colleges. While the perpetrators are mostly from the rich and elite class, the victims are naive and innocent strangers from far-off places, who have yet to acclimatise themselves to an alien environment.

It is asserted in some circles that ragging is done for fun, “to know the juniors”. But it has traumatised a large number of victims, leaving permanent scars, physical and, more seriously, psychological. There are juniors, who have discontinued education altogether unable to stand the bullying by their seniors or who have been driven to the extreme step of committing suicide. Many seniors seem to seek pleasure, by seeking to boss over the juniors through ragging. But it is a perverse, vicarious pleasure.

The authorities of most colleges do not file complaints and if complaints are filed by the victims or their parents, the police are not allowed to enter the college premises for investigation. It is feared that doing so will bring a bad name to their institution. The police are therefore helpless.

In Karnataka, the Education Act, enacted by the Janata government of the late Ramakrishna Hegde in 1983, had a specific provision to deal with ragging. But the provision could not be made use of for 12 long years as the Act received the President’s assent only in 1995.

In June 1996, I became minister for higher education and lost no time in addressing the two major problems besetting higher education. Ragging was one of them. The other was the menace of elections to university bodies and student unions. Within six months, I struck at both. And struck severely and successfully. Today, higher education is free from the scourge of elections. Only a few stray incidents of ragging take place, but prompt action follows them.

The action to be taken in such incidents has been prescribed clearly and precisely in a Government Order I got promulgated on January 16, 1997 under the provisions of the 1983 Education Act. The order followed my extensive consultations with educationists, college representatives, police, education department officials and student leaders. It was publicised widely and displayed prominently in all educational institutions.

The order defines ragging, bans it, and makes it a criminal, non-bailable offence. It prescribes a punishment of one year’s imprisonment or a fine of Rs 2,000 or both. If the accused is a woman, she may be released on a personal bond. The order states that it may be necessary to hold responsible not only those indulging actively in ragging, but also their parents or guardians, college principals and the heads of the department concerned.
It stipulates that if it is not possible to put down this menace altogether, ragging may become a strong ground to withdraw the affiliation of the college concerned and to close down the hostel, where it takes place.
The order provides for setting up review committees in all colleges and formation of flying squads in all college departments to keep a regular watch over students and thus prevent ragging.

The order had a salutary effect in less than a year and ragging stopped completely except for “one or two unpleasant incidents”.

It is not surprising that these measures have been adopted by the Raghavan Committee, set up by the Supreme Court to make recommendations to stop the menace of ragging. The court has issued directives based on the committee’s recommendations.

The Janata governments, which were in power in Karnataka during the 80s and 90s, have received laurels for these measures. So also for banning elections in university bodies and college student unions and for making CET almost fool-proof and a model for the entire country.

I was intimately associated with both the Janata governments in the state as a minister. I am happy that I had the opportunity to do my bit for the people with innovative measures.
(The writer is former state minister for higher education)