KARNATAKA: With almost all engineering colleges in the state reopening on Thursday, the fear of ragging is weighing on the minds of parents and freshers.
The college managements and the state's machinery have geared up to curb such instances.
Many colleges have fixed CCTV cameras in classrooms to keep a watch on students and committees have been set up at different levels to monitor the situation.
But despite strict measures, instances of ragging have been reported in every academic session, particularly from hostels.
Mostly, it is freshers from the lower strata of society or from the rural background, who are not well-acquainted with the hostel atmosphere, fall victim to ragging. While the authorities have taken many steps, some responsibility also lies with students and parents.
There are helplines to report cases and websites that create awareness on how to tackle such issues.
The New Indian Express spoke to people in the government, college administration, police and psychiatrists to understand the reasons behind such acts of verbal and physical abuse and ways to tackle them.
A bitter past
In 1983, an engineering student, Ganesh, in Davanagere committed suicide after traumatic experiences during ragging.
Following this incident, the then Janata Partyled government in the state brought in a legislation - the Karnataka Education Act 1983 - banning ragging completely.
By the time the Act was approved by the Centre in 1996, the Janata Dal, an offshoot of the erstwhile Janata Party, was in government in Karnataka.
The then minister for Higher Education, B Somashekhar, took the initiative further and framed necessary rules to make the Act more stringent.
Then, the Supreme Court in a case - University of Kerala Vs Council of Principals, Colleges and Others (Special Leave Petition 24295/2006 dated May 16, 2007) - insisted that a foolproof antiragging system be introduced at the national level.
It asked the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development to constitute a committee to give its recommendations on curbing the menace.
The ministry constituted a committee which filed a report with 50 recommendations.
Following this, the HRD ministry issued a circular to all the state governments to form committees and take actions to prevent incidents of ragging from occurring.
Why ragging?
A question that often comes up is what does the person who indulges in ragging get out of it?
Explaining the psychological aspects, city-based psychiatrists said in most cases, students who rag their juniors are either deprived of love and affection at home or have an overdose of it.
Experts said active participation of teachers and school authorities was indispensable to control the situation.The authorities can organise cultural programmes and fests so that senior students get a chance to showcase their talent before new students.
Besides, organising quiz contests and gettogethers under strict supervision of teachers can help them get acquainted with the juniors.
Dr C R Chandrashekhar, professor and psychiatrist at NIMHANS, said victims of ragging rag their juniors.
"It becomes a vicious circle," he said. "The victims take vengeance when they become seniors."
He said a patient who was a student of an engineering college attempted suicide after he was sexually abused by his seniors. They had forced him into a homosexual relationship, which had continued for a few days, said the doctor. In another case, the senior students asked a college student to utter verbal abuses for his parents and his loved ones. The students went into depression after this incident.
Dr Thomas M J, consultant psychiatrist at Sagar Hospital, said those who are badly ragged become bigger raggers when they become seniors.
"It has been observed that those students who are introverts, emotional and shy, they suffer more from psychological disorders."
