BHUBANESWAR: A series of measures notwithstanding, Odisha continues to witness cases of ragging every year. According to reports of National Anti Ragging Help Line of University Grants Commission (UGC), the State has reported 20 cases of ragging, mostly in engineering colleges, this year. Of these, 16 cases were filed by boys while the remaining four were filed by girls.
Most of the ragging cases have been reported from colleges affiliated to Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and medical colleges despite the fact that squads conduct surprise raids on campuses at regular intervals to ensure that there is zero tolerance to ragging. Usually, such incidents increase around August to October when admissions to engineering and medical colleges are over.
This year, a majority of cases have been reported from VSS University of Technology, Sambalpur and medical colleges like AIIMS, MKCG, Hitech Dental College and Dr Abhin Chandra Homoeopathy Medical College and Hospital. The only silver lining is that the number of cases has come down as compared to the previous years.
As many as 328 ragging incidents have been reported from Odisha from 2009 till date. There were 36, 41, 54, 44, 71 and 32 incidents reported during 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. Last year, 30 cases of ragging were reported.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary AP Padhi recently reviewed the steps taken to bring down incidents of ragging to 'nil'. It was decided that the Skill Development and Technical Education Department will be the nodal department of the State for monitoring all anti-ragging measures. An anti-ragging cell will be formed in the department and a nodal officer will be appointed for the purpose. The Chief Secretary also asked officials of Higher Education and Agriculture Departments, which have educational institutions under their jurisdiction, to form an anti-ragging cells and appoint nodal officers to monitor ragging cases.
Anti-ragging monitoring committees in each of the educational institutions of the State should also review the cases regularly and Collectors have been directed to form anti-ragging cells at district level.