Ragging- A Crime in B-Schools

The word ragging in itself has a negative association and is a feeling that one'slaying off his/her dignity. Initially, ragging was an ice breaker between the new students and existing students. But with the passage of time, it has turned around to be a life-taking event giving it as a tag of Crime. The supreme court has defined the terminology ragging as “Causing, inducing, compelling or forcing a student, whether by way of practical joke or otherwise, to do any act which detracts from human dignity or violates his/her person or exposes him/her to ridicule from doing any lawful act. By intimidating, wrongfully restraining, wrongfully confining, or injuring him or by using criminal force on him/her or by holding out to him/her any threat of intimidation, wrongful confinement, injury or the use of criminal force”

The question here arises is what is the ultimate result of ragging? There is no positive answer associated with this. At the end ragging only deal with negative traits like tears, loneliness, depression, humiliation, torture, fear, suicides and etc.

There are different forms of ragging. Imagination has no bound similarly ragging as an activity has reached the torturous levels. It has defied all the levels of decency and morality. Some of the most popular forms of ragging in B-Schools are:

Dress Code Ragging: In this type of ragging the freshmen are required to wear a specific type of dress code for a time period. This isn’t easy because they have to wear something inappropriate like all black or white color clothes with oil in the hair or combed in a particular style. Formal Introduction: The freshmen have to introduce themselves in “Shudh Hindi” which includes their name, address, school, parent’s name, hobbies, marks etc. Verbal Torture: In this the freshmen may be asked to sing a vulgar song or use any abusive language while talking to seniors. Playing the fool- Here the seniors make the freshmen to enact funny movie scenes or mimic a film star. Not only this, they may be asked to do silly things like climbing a tree, kissing a person from the opposite gender, proposing someone etc. Hostel ragging: Outstation students who stay in hostel are most vulnerable to ragging. They may be asked to do all odd activities like cleaning their room, washing clothes, getting them water or milk, completing their assignments and so on.

Looking at the increase in rate of crime in B-Schools, colleges have started anti-ragging campaigns. Students who are being ragged can visit the concerned authority and can complain. Infact, the government has also introduced many anti-ragging legislation acts. Ragging is now a serious offence and there is no way to be safeguarded from this crime. In case any students still experience the act of ragging, the students must approach the disciplinary committee of their college. If in case they are not satisfied with the decision of the committee then they can also approach the police. At any cost students should not tolerate this.