Regional Director of Education, Berhampur, LK Tripathi has written to all government and private college authorities on Monday to collect such undertakings from each new student to ensure ragging free college campus.
The Odisha government has made it mandatory for students seeking admission in degree colleges to submit an undertaking not to indulge in or abet ragging, a statement said.
Along with this, he also asked the principals to form anti-ragging squads, committees in each institute and make the students including freshmen and seniors aware about the anti-ragging provisions. He said pamphlets or brochures on anti-ragging provisions should be distributed to every student of the colleges.
A first-year student of Plus-III died by suicide at BJB Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar on July 2, an MBBS student in Bolangir had allegedly ended his life by jumping from the fourth floor of the medical college.
The regional director’s letter in this regard comes after some recent incidents in Bhubaneswar and Bolangir where students allegedly committed suicide due to ragging by senior students in their respective institutions.
To ensure ragging-free premises, Tripathi said, no act of ragging, big or small, should go unnoticed. Mr. Tripathi also asked the college heads to ensure that every hostel has a full-time warden who lives within or near the hostel. No ragger, male or female student or non-student, should go without punishment – he said.
The department also urged the parents and guardians of fresher or junior students to immediately bring to the notice of the head of the institution if any such incident of ragging comes to their notice.
Taking note of the increasing trend of ragging in higher educational institutions, Mr Tripathi said in the letter – Every student shall be asked to give a written undertaking not to indulge in or abet ragging.
Collector D.J. Parida had also held a meeting of heads of premier institutions, basically technical institutions, on 7 July and asked them to take strict anti-ragging measures from the beginning of the session.
Action was taken against a house surgeon at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here for allegedly indulging in ragging of a junior medical student at the college in the month of May. The Collector also asked them to create awareness among the students about the anti-ragging provisions.
