Anti Ragging Policy

ANTI-RAGGING

The D Y Patil Education Society (Deemed University) is a ‘Ragging Free Campus’.
It must be noted that the institute considers ragging a cognizable offence and will not hesitate to take strong action against the offenders. Here are the extracts from the UGC’s Committee Report. Guidelines given by the University Grants Commission to Curb the Menace of Ragging in Universities/Educational Institutions. The world ‘ragging’ mean the act of teasing, taunting, playing a practical joke upon someone or holding comic parades and other activities during certain period of a college term to raise money for charity).
A brief excerpt is given below:
“What constitutes Ragging”?
Ragging constitutes one or more of any of the following acts:

a. any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student;

b. indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in any fresher or any other student;

c. asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student;

d. any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any other student or a fresher;

e. exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students.

f. any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by students;

g. any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;

h. any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, post, public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to fresher or any other student;

i. any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a student over any fresher or any other student.

j. In case of any such instances either directly been contacted by the senior, being a victim or if the student happens so witness any such incident which can be categorically defined under ragging as above as a campus resident he/she should immediately report to the appropriate authority Warden/Convener of Hostels/Chief warden/Dean Students Welfare/Anti-ragging squad for further course of action. Such informants will be protected and shall not be subject to any adverse consequence only for the reason for having reported such incidents.

k. Fresher’s should clearly 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 above authorities as the case maybe.

First year UG students are for the very same reason lodged in separate hostels fenced and the access of seniors are denied on these first-year hostels. Any senior student found inthose hostel premises for what so ever reason without prior permission shall be subjected to disciplinary action. The students who are found indulge in such activities shall be punished appropriately after

following the procedure and in the manner prescribed here in under.”
The list of ragging acts could also include asking a junior or batch-mate to

  • To address seniors as ‘Sir’
  • To perform mass drills;
  • To copy class notes for the seniors;
  • To serve various errands;
  • To do menial jobs for the seniors;
  • To ask/answer vulgar questions;
  • To look at pornographic pictures to ‘shook the freshers out of their innocence;
  • To force to drink alcohol, scalding tea, etc.

With regard to punishments the above-mentioned gazette notification states as below:
l. The Anti-Ragging Committee may, depending on the nature and gravity of the guilt established by the Anti-Ragging Squad, award, to those found guilty, one or more of the following punishments, namely;
i) Suspension from attending classes and academic privileges.
ii) Withholding/ withdrawing scholarship/ fellowship and other benefits.
iii) Debarring from appearing in any test/ examination or other evaluation process.
iv) Withholding results.
v) Debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet, tournament, youth festival, etc.
vi) Suspension/ expulsion from the hostel.
vii) Cancellation of admission.
viii) Rustication from the institution for period ranging from one to four semesters.
ix) Expulsion from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for a specified period.

Provided that where the persons committing or abetting the act of ragging are not identified, the institution shall resort to collective punishment.
m. An appeal against the order of punishment by the Anti-Ragging Committee shall lie,
i. in case of an order of an institution, affiliated to or constituent part, of university, to the Vice-Chancellor of the University;
ii. in case of an order of a University, to its Chancellor.
iii. in case of an institution of national importance created by an Act of Parliament, to the Chairman or Chancellor of the institution, as the case may be.

The list of punishments could also include
1. Fine up to Rs. 25,000/-
2. Rigorous imprisonment up to three years – this can be only given by a court of law.

Please Note : The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made it mandatory for all students/parents to submit anti-ragging related affidavits to the institution at the time of admission.