Five myths about Ragging
Myth: Ragging makes the fresher bold
Fact: Many of the victims of ragging are left emotionally scarred with low self-esteem and self-worth. This can lead to depression and suicide in the absence of emotional support. There have been several such cases. Ragging is an attempt to break the self esteem of the incoming students and revel in their abject shame and fear.
Myth: Ragging doesn't mean more than cleaning the senior's room or removing your shirt
Fact: Ragging incidents have included stripping of all clothes and public sexual acts, including sexual intercourse and sodomy. Ragging takes its worst form when freshers are mercilessly beaten, asked to take drugs, made to work round the clock and made to obey arbitrary rules such as not removing their shoes for months.
Myth: Severe ragging is not prevalent anymore
Fact: Severe ragging is widely prevalent in most of the colleges which have hostels, be it in the smaller cities or the metropolises. This is borne out by ten cases of suicide due to ragging in the last four years. After the Supreme Court Judgment, colleges have geared up to keep ragging incidents under cover. The problem is not solved yet, it is just hidden.
Myth: Colleges are united against ragging Fact: In many violent cases, colleges have actually denied the incident, or worse, indicated that the fresher had initiated the altercation. The college authority prefers to deny a ragging incident to "save face" at the cost of the fresher's trauma. In stray cases, where action has been taken against the seniors, public sympathy towards the perpetrator has made justice difficult.
Myth: No one can rag me, if I don't allow it Fact: A disorganized set of freshers face a united front of seniors who ask them to do the most unthinkable things in the name of ragging. A "No" from the fresher could lead to public humiliation, beating and torture. Singling out a protesting student is a regular feature of ragging. Complaints may mean facing hostile authorities and threats from the entire senior batch, leaving the fresher with no option but to leave the campus and ruin his or her career.
Fact: Many of the victims of ragging are left emotionally scarred with low self-esteem and self-worth. This can lead to depression and suicide in the absence of emotional support. There have been several such cases. Ragging is an attempt to break the self esteem of the incoming students and revel in their abject shame and fear.
Myth: Ragging doesn't mean more than cleaning the senior's room or removing your shirt
Fact: Ragging incidents have included stripping of all clothes and public sexual acts, including sexual intercourse and sodomy. Ragging takes its worst form when freshers are mercilessly beaten, asked to take drugs, made to work round the clock and made to obey arbitrary rules such as not removing their shoes for months.
Myth: Severe ragging is not prevalent anymore
Fact: Severe ragging is widely prevalent in most of the colleges which have hostels, be it in the smaller cities or the metropolises. This is borne out by ten cases of suicide due to ragging in the last four years. After the Supreme Court Judgment, colleges have geared up to keep ragging incidents under cover. The problem is not solved yet, it is just hidden.
Myth: Colleges are united against ragging Fact: In many violent cases, colleges have actually denied the incident, or worse, indicated that the fresher had initiated the altercation. The college authority prefers to deny a ragging incident to "save face" at the cost of the fresher's trauma. In stray cases, where action has been taken against the seniors, public sympathy towards the perpetrator has made justice difficult.
Myth: No one can rag me, if I don't allow it Fact: A disorganized set of freshers face a united front of seniors who ask them to do the most unthinkable things in the name of ragging. A "No" from the fresher could lead to public humiliation, beating and torture. Singling out a protesting student is a regular feature of ragging. Complaints may mean facing hostile authorities and threats from the entire senior batch, leaving the fresher with no option but to leave the campus and ruin his or her career.
- HARSH AGARWAL
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