Anti-ragging banners have come up in many colleges across West Bengal while the State Government has set up anti-ragging cells and announced a 24x7 helpline number. But teachers feel that these measures will not work unless colleges hold orientation and sensitisation programmes.
Ragging helpline
Last week, the State Government announced the setting up of a 24x7 helpline at the Kolkata police headquarters in Lalbazar for complaints related to ragging. The government also set up Kolkata-level and district-level ragging prevention cells; the district-level panels would consist of the additional district magistrate looking after education, the additional superintendent or deputy commissioner of police, and the district education officer; while the cell for Kolkata will comprise the senior special secretary (Department of Higher Education), joint commissioner of police, and an OSD in the Department of Higher Education.
“An officer of the local police station will immediately visit the site and take action,” the circular said.
On August 10, Swapnadip Kundu, a first-year undergraduate student of Bengali, from Nadia district, died after he fell from the balcony of his university hostel; he was allegedly being teased for being gay.
“I hope all the preventive measures work successfully. But nobody asks for new hostels for first-year students, nobody asks about the role of the institutional authority, nobody asks about constructive measures on bringing consciousness about ragging and sending a message of zero tolerance,” said Mrinmoy Pramanick, a teacher at the University of Calcutta.
Atmosphere of tolerance
“Multiple orientation programmes need to be organised in each and every institution for newcomers as well as exiting students. CCTV alone cannot prevent ragging, and more importantly, ragging happens in private places like hostel rooms and classrooms, where CCTVs should not be installed,” Dr. Pramanick said.
“Also, we need a permanent 24-hour superintendent and assistant superintendent in hostels with security. And all these are possible within the existing infrastructure, whereas CCTV costs Rs. 37 lakh, which would end up being deducted from research budget,” he said.
Samata Biswas, who teaches at the Sanskrit College and University, said: “My institution has just constituted the anti-ragging cell and squad as per the guidelines, but while penal and institutional mechanisms are important to curb ragging, conversations and building a culture of tolerance in an institution alone can stop ragging. Sensitisation measures, discussions inside and outside classrooms and an atmosphere of tolerance towards difference is the only way!”
Dr. Biswas added: “Having said that, the vitriolic and violent public relation to teachers and students of Jadavpur University can only be considered yet another form of ragging. This is just an opinion… I have heard that random people have threatened students on the road because they overheard them say they’re from JU; the same appears to have happened with staff and faculty.”
