Ragging: Serious human rights abuse
( MUKESH YADAV )
( Monday, April 27, 2009 )
When any student is admitted in a particular institution, he/she faces many problems which are only compounded by seniors who have crossed all barriers for 'ragging'.
( MUKESH YADAV )
( Monday, April 27, 2009 )
When any student is admitted in a particular institution, he/she faces many problems which are only compounded by seniors who have crossed all barriers for 'ragging'.
Ragging: Serious human rights abuse
Posted : Monday, April 27, 2009 By : MUKESH YADAV
‘Ragging’ has come to be known as ‘teasing’, ‘terror’, ‘harassment’, ‘cruelty’, ‘fear’ and ‘physical and mental torture’, racking, ducking, teasing, etc in modern era.
Serious human rights abuse
‘Seniors’ under the garb of ‘Introduction’ have started ragging freshers and due to which, in recent years, it has become a talk that freshers who have faced severe ragging are leaving the educational institutions. Some have attempted to commit suicide and some have even committed it. The most recent incident of deceased Mr. Aman Kachroo, who died due to injuries at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, Kangra, HP, crossed all the barriers of cruelty.
By perusal of records and survey, it has been noticed that ‘Ragging’ is a systematized form of Human Rights' abuse as embodied under the Constitution of India as well as other Constitutions of the World. Over the years, in all over the world and especially in South Asia, the practice of ‘Ragging’ has come to be meant as an extreme ‘harassment’, ‘terror’ and even ‘physical and mental torture’ of freshers.
Ragging is a set of undisciplined, inhuman activities
Ragging is a set of undisciplined activities undertaken by seniors to break ice with juniors, who have been suddenly thrown into a totally new environment. The contention of seniors behind all such activities is simply to bring the freshers down to earth, because in their opinion the freshers do not respect the seniors and by doing all such inhuman activities under the garb of ‘Introduction’, the seniors rag the freshers so that the freshers may respect them and be under their control. But this act cannot be reasonable and just. The act by the seniors is a ‘fist of steel against ice’ and likewise by doing so, they shatter the ambition, aim and object of freshers and they become aloof in this practical world.
Ragging in essence is a human rights' abuse
Ragging can be in various forms. It can be physical abuse or mental harassment. In present times shocking incidents of ragging have come to the notice. Sometimes violence is used. The student is physically tortured or psychologically terrorized. All human being should be free to claim, as a matter of right in the society in which they live, for life of dignity but when it is intentionally or recklessly damaged or departed then the person's human right is abused; in that sense ragging is the best example of human rights' abuse. Historical background:
Everyman's Encyclopaedia (1938 Edition, Vol. II) and Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1967 Edition) have references about ragging. The synonyms of ragging as racking, ducking, teasing, etc. are mentioned in detail in these reference books. In England the credit/discredit goes to Duke of Exeter to introduce the practice of ragging.
Racking was another form of ragging in which a special instrument called 'rack' was used to torture the victim. Gradually it mixed up with the term of ragging. Egyptian, Romans and Greeks were also not lagging behind. Some form or the other of ragging was found in their societies.
Ragging is not a new phenomenon. It existed even in older times. It was part of civilised societies. In ancient seats of learning, e.g., Berytus and Athens ragging was prevalent. Ragging existed as a tradition in Army Schools of England. Later on this tradition took its root in medical and engineering colleges. In English society ragging took the form of freshers being paraded on street which caused much annoyance not only to freshers but even to general public especially girls.
The form and effect of ragging
Ragging is a form of systematic and sustained physical, mental and sexual abuse of fresh students at the college/university/any other educational institution at the hands of senior students of the same institution and sometimes even by outsiders. Although some form of ragging is present in every educational institution but serious abuses of human rights take place generally in medical and engineering colleges and Armed Forces.
The form and effect of ragging differ from institution to institution. It creates a sense of fear in the minds of first year students and they become apprehensive of unforeseen incidents which, later comes true and culminates in actual form of action. Ragging is ‘display of noisy, disorderly conduct and great high spirits considered by perpetrators (raggers) as excellent fun and by many outsiders as a bloody nuisance’.
Another meaning of ragging is ‘to question vigorously and jocularly, horseplay or assail roughly and noisily’. Yet another definition of ragging refers to popular Spanish game of ‘Bull-Fight’, wherein Bull is shown red 'rag' and a person shouts which infuriates the Bull in fighting.
As noted above ‘Ragging’ means display of noisy, disorderly conduct or doing any act which causes or is likely to cause physical or psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to a student in any educational institution and includes,
teasing, abusing of, playing practical jokes on, or causing hurt to, such students; or
asking the student to do any act or perform something which such student will not, in the ordinary course, willingly do.
‘Ragging’ means doing an act which causes or is likely to cause insult or annoyance or fear or apprehension or threat or intimidation or outraging of modesty or injury to a student.
‘Ragging’ means causing, inducing, compelling or forcing a student, whether by way of a practical joke or otherwise, to do any act which detracts from human dignity or violates his person or exposes him to ridicule or to forbear from doing any lawful act, by intimidating, wrongfully restraining, wrongfully confining, or injuring him or by using criminal force to him or by holding out to him any threat of such intimidation, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, injury or the use of criminal force.
The word ‘ragging’ colloquially means to tease or play practical jokes on someone, especially on students who are the fresh entrants in the schools, colleges, Universities or any other educational institutions. In the beginning, it was a way of introduction of the first year students in the institutions which gradually has become not only serious problem but also a social stigma. While in the age of a child in cradle, it was a harmless practice by senior students over their juniors. Regarding the origin or initiative steps of the ragging, it can be traced back to the Seventh or Eighth Century AD.
In 1828-1845, in United States' Colleges and Universities Campus, several student-organizations called 'fraternities' popped up. Freshers to these fraternities were known as pledges. In its rudimentary form, it was called 'hazing' which was merely ritual to test the courage of the pledge.
In ancient Greece, freshers to the sporting communities were subjected to humiliation and teasing to inculcate team spirit. After the passage of time this type of activities were adopted by Armed Forces in which new entrants have to pass out by obeying the seniors in off-duty time. As has been said above, in the age of child in cradle, the ragging was a harmless practice rather permissible in the society but it had taken shape of brutality, humiliation and harassment after the First World War.
New heinous meaning
In fact the technique, style or forms which the soldiers participating in the War had learnt and faced in army atmosphere, were brought by them, when they re-entered in the colleges after returning from the War. Actually these forms were devised to highlight the importance of the team. Gradually these techniques and forms passed on those persons who did not know the real meaning of the technical word 'hazing' or 'ragging'.
Now ragging has acquired a new heinous meaning which indicates any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the student to do any act or perform something which such student will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.
Justification for ragging
Ragging is rationalised and justified as a way of ‘Introduction or getting familiar’ with the freshers at the starting of an academic session of any educational institution. However, in a very positive aspect, ‘Ragging’ could not be considered as an abridgement between the seniors and the freshers, whereas ‘Introduction’ could be considered as genesis of relationship between the two.
As noted above ‘Ragging’ means display of noisy, disorderly conduct or doing any act which causes or is likely to cause physical or psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to a student in any educational institution and includes,
teasing, abusing of, playing practical jokes on, or causing hurt to, such students; or
asking the student to do any act or perform something which such student will not, in the ordinary course, willingly do.
‘Ragging’ means doing an act which causes or is likely to cause insult or annoyance or fear or apprehension or threat or intimidation or outraging of modesty or injury to a student.
‘Ragging’ means causing, inducing, compelling or forcing a student, whether by way of a practical joke or otherwise, to do any act which detracts from human dignity or violates his person or exposes him to ridicule or to forbear from doing any lawful act, by intimidating, wrongfully restraining, wrongfully confining, or injuring him or by using criminal force to him or by holding out to him any threat of such intimidation, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, injury or the use of criminal force.
The word ‘ragging’ colloquially means to tease or play practical jokes on someone, especially on students who are the fresh entrants in the schools, colleges, Universities or any other educational institutions. In the beginning, it was a way of introduction of the first year students in the institutions which gradually has become not only serious problem but also a social stigma. While in the age of a child in cradle, it was a harmless practice by senior students over their juniors. Regarding the origin or initiative steps of the ragging, it can be traced back to the Seventh or Eighth Century AD.
In 1828-1845, in United States' Colleges and Universities Campus, several student-organizations called 'fraternities' popped up. Freshers to these fraternities were known as pledges. In its rudimentary form, it was called 'hazing' which was merely ritual to test the courage of the pledge.
In ancient Greece, freshers to the sporting communities were subjected to humiliation and teasing to inculcate team spirit. After the passage of time this type of activities were adopted by Armed Forces in which new entrants have to pass out by obeying the seniors in off-duty time. As has been said above, in the age of child in cradle, the ragging was a harmless practice rather permissible in the society but it had taken shape of brutality, humiliation and harassment after the First World War.
New heinous meaning
In fact the technique, style or forms which the soldiers participating in the War had learnt and faced in army atmosphere, were brought by them, when they re-entered in the colleges after returning from the War. Actually these forms were devised to highlight the importance of the team. Gradually these techniques and forms passed on those persons who did not know the real meaning of the technical word 'hazing' or 'ragging'.
Now ragging has acquired a new heinous meaning which indicates any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the student to do any act or perform something which such student will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.
Justification for ragging
Ragging is rationalised and justified as a way of ‘Introduction or getting familiar’ with the freshers at the starting of an academic session of any educational institution. However, in a very positive aspect, ‘Ragging’ could not be considered as an abridgement between the seniors and the freshers, whereas ‘Introduction’ could be considered as genesis of relationship between the two.
