Friday, August 14, 2009

Now JNU catches ragging virus

(Parul Sharma)
The Hindu Daily
Friday, Aug 14, 2009

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University, which always prided itself on being a “ragging-free” campus, received a severe jolt on Thursday as four Master of Computer Applications students were expelled from the campus hostel after being caught ragging their juniors.

The JNU administration will also issue show-cause notices on Friday to another group of MCA students who have been accused of ragging freshers for the past ten days.

This is perhaps the first time that a ragging incident has been reported on the JNU campus since the inception of the institution 40 years ago in 1969.

An FIR has also been lodged with the police against the eight MCA students, enrolled at the JNU School of Computer and Systems Sciences.

A first-year MCA student had lodged a complaint with the authorities on Wednesday.

The victim, a resident of Tapti Hostel on the campus, had written to the authorities charging that freshers were being “tortured mentally and physically for the last ten days”.

“Some students had to go to the hospital…..Please help us and save us from being tortured…..They make us ‘murga’, use unparliamentary language…..they abuse us, demoralise us and threaten us…..” read the victim’s complaint.

Even while the student was discussing his complaint with the Inter-Hall Administration (which runs all the hostels on the JNU campus) on Wednesday afternoon, he received a call from his seniors to come over to a particular room in Sabarmati Hostel.

The anti-ragging squad was alerted and it followed him to the hostel.“The anti-ragging squad followed the boy and they saw a group of seniors and juniors sitting in one room. The freshers were sitting with the head lowered and it was obvious that ragging was taking place,” said JNU Rector-II Ramadhikari Kumar on Thursday.

“The squad caught the students red-handed while ragging,” said Proctor Neera Kongari, adding, “The hostel facilities of four MCA students have been withdrawn with immediate effect pending proctorial inquiry, which will investigate the case further and submit its report in the next seven days.”

However, the accused students would continue to attend classes till the inquiry is completed.

Apart from those allegedly caught red-handed, the victim identified through photographs another set of four MCA seniors who had ragged him earlier. Show-cause notices will be sent to them on Friday.

“Only students of one particular school on the campus have been accused of ragging. Some of them are from the second year, while others are from the third year. They would rag their freshers in different hostels,” said Prof. Kumar. The authorities have assured all support to the victim.

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