Many colleges affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University are yet to fully comply with the regulations issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) against ragging.
The university authorities had recently sent a directive to all colleges that they should implement the guidelines without any delay. But reliable sources in the university admitted that several colleges are found lagging in introducing vital steps to curb the menace.
University authorities had asked the college authorities to file a compliance report before the start of the new academic year. Colleges were also told to set up suitable hoardings/bill boards /banners in prominent places within the campus exhorting the students to prevent or not to indulge in ragging. The hoardings should have included the names of the officials and their telephone number to be contacted in the event of an incident of ragging being reported on the campus.
University sources said that colleges had organised a few awareness programmes against ragging but the implementation of UGC guidelines were still pending.
Many colleges have not even set up bill boards at prominent places as directed. Colleges were also asked to mention the number of ragging incidents reported on the campuses in the annual brochure, as part of providing information about the menace to the public.
But many colleges are yet to include such details in the brochure, sources said.
Based on the feedback that the anti-ragging measures need to be stepped up on the campus, the university will soon ask the head of the institutions to convene and address a meeting of various functionaries/agencies, including wardens, representatives of students, parents/guardians, faculty, district administration including police, to discuss the measures to be taken to prevent ragging in the institution.
The head of the institution should also elaborate on the steps to taken to identify the offenders and punish them suitably.
Freshers will be encouraged to report incidents of ragging, either as victims, or even as witnesses.
The anti-ragging squad will be encouraged to be alert and active on all occasions.
It will also be empowered to inspect places of potential ragging and make surprise raids on hostels and other hot spots.
