Govt firm on ragging in schools too

replying to a short discussion on ragging in the rajya sabha, sibal said ragging is violent, degrading, demeaning and has a negative psychological impact on victims. he said the government has adopted zero tolerance towards ragging and praised the supreme court’s intervention in the matter.    sibal said the new helpline started to register ragging complaints has started working. it promises to take action within 15 minutes. so far, 77 actual complaints have been received, of which 63 had been forwarded to the institutions. three have been closed and the rest are under investigation.  highlighting ugc’s regulations against ragging, sibal said at the time of admission, both the student and his parents have to file an affidavit that ragging is prohibited, and in case there is a violation, the student will be prosecuted under the penal law.   students who indulge in ragging can face suspension, their results can be withheld and they can even be expelled. institutions not taking action will also face action.    as all institutions under the ugc had been brought under its regulations, soon other regulatory bodies like medical council of india, dental council of india, bar council of india and others would adopt these measures.   referring to ragging incidents in schools, sibal said that regulations similar to ugc rules should be enacted for schools. “we will be proceeding in this direction,” he said.    besides, the measures had to be overseen by anti-ragging squads and committees at college, district and state levels, the minister said.