Measures at Institution Level
UGC ANTI RAGGING REGULATIONS: ABSTRACT
5. Measures for prohibition of ragging at the institution level:
b) All institutions shall take action following these Regulations against those found guilty of ragging and/or abetting ragging, actively or passively, or being part of a conspiracy to promote ragging.
6. Measures for prevention of ragging at the institution level:
BEFORE AND DURING ADMISSION AND REGISTRATION
6.1 An institution shall take the following steps concerning admission or registration of students; namely,
a) Every public declaration of intent by any institution, in any electronic, audio-visual or print or any other media, for admission of students to any course of study shall expressly provide that ragging is prohibited in the institution, and anyone found guilty of ragging and/or abetting ragging, is liable to be punished following these Regulations as well as under the provisions of any penal law for the time being in force.
b) The brochure of admission/instruction booklet or the prospectus, whether in print or electronic format, shall prominently print these Regulations in full.
Provided further that the telephone numbers of the Anti-Ragging Helpline and all the important functionaries in the institution, including but not limited to the Head of the institution, faculty members, members of the Anti-Ragging Committees and Anti-Ragging Squads, District and Sub-Divisional authorities, Wardens of hostels, and other functionaries or authorities where relevant, shall be published in the brochure of admission/instruction booklet or the prospectus.
c) Where an institution is affiliated to a University and publishes a brochure of admission/instruction booklet or a prospectus, the affiliating university shall ensure that the affiliated institution shall comply with the provisions of clause (a) and clause (b) of Regulation 6.1 of these Regulations.
d) The application form for admission, enrollment or registration shall contain an affidavit,…. to be filled up and signed by the applicant to the effect that he/she has read and understood the provisions of these Regulations as well as the provisions of any other law for the time being in force
e) The application form for admission, enrollment or registration shall contain an affidavit, …. to the parents/guardians of the applicant. (SAVE believes one of the strongest reasons for ragging to happen is that the raggers are dead sure that parents would never get to know their heinous acts. The affidavit filed by parents has the name, address and telephone numbers of the parents of the senior students. A fresher can file RTI applications, even without disclosing his name, to get these details of ragger’s parents, and call/ write himself or make his parents talk to ragger’s parents to rein in him. Once freshers take courage and start doing that, we feel ragging may drastically reduce in India.)
g) A student seeking admission to a hostel forming part of the institution, or seeking to reside in any temporary premises not forming part of the institution, including a private/commercially managed lodge or hostel, shall have to submit additional affidavits countersigned by his/her parents/guardians in the form prescribed in Annexure I and Annexure II to these Regulations respectively along with his/her application.
h) Before the commencement of the academic session in any institution, the Head of the Institution shall convene and address a meeting of various functionaries/agencies, such as Hostel Wardens, representatives of students, parents/ guardians, faculty, district administration including the police, to discuss the measures to be taken to prevent ragging in the institution and steps to be taken to identify those indulging in or abetting ragging and punish them.
i) The institution shall…, prominently display posters depicting the provisions of penal law applicable to incidents of ragging, and the provisions of these Regulations and also any other law for the time being in force, and the punishments thereof, shall be prominently displayed on Notice Boards of all departments, hostels and other buildings as well as at places, where students normally gather and at places, known to be vulnerable to occurrences of ragging incidents.
l) The institution shall tighten security in its premises, especially at vulnerable places and intense policing by Anti-Ragging Squad, referred to in these Regulations and volunteers, if any, shall be resorted to at such points at odd hours during the first few months of the academic session.
p) The head of the institution shall provide information to the local police and local authorities, the details of every privately commercially managed hostel or lodges used for residential purposes by students enrolled in the institution and the head of the institution shall also ensure that the Anti-Ragging Squad shall ensure vigil in such locations to prevent the occurrence of ragging therein.
AFTER ADMISSION:
6.2 An institution shall, on admission or enrollment or registration of students, take the following steps, namely;
a) Every fresh student admitted to the institution shall be given a printed leaflet detailing to whom he/she has to turn to for help and guidance for various purposes including addresses and telephone numbers, to enable the student to contact the concerned person at any time, if and when required, of the Anti-Ragging Helpline referred to in these Regulations, Wardens, Head of the institution, all members of the anti-ragging squads and committees, relevant district and police authorities.
c) The leaflet specified in clause (a) of Regulation 6.2 of these Regulations shall inform the fresher’s about their rights as bonafide students of the institution and clearly instructing them that they should desist from doing anything, with or against their will, even if ordered to by the senior students, and that any attempt of ragging shall be promptly reported to the Anti-ragging Squad or the Warden or the Head of the institution, as the case may be.
d) The leaflet specified in clause (a) of Regulation 6.2 of these Regulations shall contain a calendar of events and activities laid down by the institution to facilitate and complement familiarization of freshers with the academic environment of the institution.
e) The institution shall, on the arrival of senior students after the first week or after the second week, as the case may be, schedule orientation programs as follows, namely; (i) joint sensitization programme and counseling of both fresher’s and senior students by a professional counsellor, referred to in clause (o) of Regulation 6.1 of these Regulations; (ii) joint orientation program of freshe’rs and seniors to be addressed by the Head of the institution and the anti-ragging committee;
g) Freshers or any other student(s), whether being victims, or witnesses, in any incident of ragging, shall be encouraged to report such occurrence, and the identity of such informants shall be protected.
h) Each batch of freshers, on arrival at the institution, shall be divided into small groups and each such group shall be assigned to a member of the faculty, who shall interact individually with each member of the group every day for ascertaining the problems or difficulties, if any, faced by the fresher in the institution and shall extend necessary help to the fresher in overcoming the same.
i) It shall be the responsibility of the member of the faculty assigned to the group of fresher’s, to coordinate with the Wardens of the hostels and to make surprise visits to the rooms in such hostels, where a member or members of the group are lodged; and such member of faculty shall maintain a diary of his/her interaction with the fresher’s under his/her charge.
j) Fresher’s shall be lodged, as far as may be, in a separate hostel block, and where such facilities are not available, the institution shall ensure that access of seniors to accommodation allotted to fresher’s is strictly monitored by wardens, security guards and other staff of the institution.
k) Around the clock vigil against ragging in the hostel premises, to prevent ragging in the hostels after the classes are over shall be ensured by the institution.
m) Every student studying in the institution and his/her parents/guardians shall provide the specific affidavits required under clauses (d), (e) and (g) of Regulation 6.1 of these Regulations at the time of admission or registration, as the case may be, during each academic year.
q) The Head of the institution shall, at the end of each academic year, send a letter to the parents/guardians of the students who are completing their first year in the institution, informing them about these Regulations and any law for the time being in force prohibiting ragging and the punishments thereof as well as punishments prescribed under the penal laws, and appealing to them to impress upon their wards to desist from indulging in ragging on their return to the institution at the beginning of the academic session next.
4 MORE ON ANTI RAGGING COMMITTEE, SQUADS, HOSTELS, ETC. UGC ANTI RAGGING REGULATIONS: ABSTRACT
