UGC amends anti-ragging regulations

The changes are incorporated in the Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions (third amendment), Regulations, 2016, which have come into force.

Harassing a student from the north-east on the basis of ethnicity or a Bihari student on the basis of regional background can now lead to expulsion or rustication, among other punishments, in higher educational institutions.

The University Grants Commission has amended its anti-ragging regulations to include physical or mental abuse on grounds of ethnicity, caste, religion, colour, regional background, linguistic identity, nationality and sexual orientation. Earlier, ragging was defined as teasing and physical or psychological harm of different kinds.

“There are plenty of complaints of such harassment on campuses. They range from the use of a particular derogatory word to address students from the north-east to the seemingly innocuous ‘Bihari’ or ‘Bhaiyya’ being disparagingly used for students from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” an official of the UGC told The Hindu . “All these can now be seen as coming under the ambit of ragging and can attract punishment.”

Publicity

The Human Resource Development released Rs. 5-crore to the UGC in the last financial year to publicise this, sources say. The publicity material includes an FM Radio message on calling a student “rustic” (ganwaar) to a film featuring cricketer Virat Kohli, said an official. Posters and messages have also been dispatched to universities and colleges to spread awareness.

Wider meaning

Officials said the UPA government had set the ball rolling after an Arunachal Pradesh student, Nido Tania, died of injuries he suffered in an assault at a market in south Delhi.

The changes are incorporated in the Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions (third amendment), Regulations, 2016, which have come into force.

Ragging now means not just physical or mental hurt caused to a fresher. It covers “any other student” too, meaning a senior student inflicting harm on another senior student is also ragging. The rules kick in if the harm is caused anywhere on a campus or even in a campus transport facility. The anti-ragging committee of the institution can debar violators from classes, fellowships and examinations, withhold results and order suspension from hostel, rusticate and even order expulsion from the institution, depending on the severity of the offence.