A grieving father’s battle to seek justice for the death of his son is now at a crossroad. Rajendra Kachroo, father of medical student Aman Kachroo who was ragged to death last year, has been fighting for justice since then. But now the scales of justice have swung a different way. The Delhi High Court has stated that students accused of ragging should not be expelled for life from college as it will ruin their career and might turn them into anti-social elements. While some parents and students have given a thumbs up to the directive, others nurse serious doubts and feel such leniency might dilute the fight against ragging.
The court said, “No college would be willing to grant them admission to enable them to complete their studies, thereby leading to such frustration and disappointment or despondency which may lead even either to suicide or turn them into anti-social elements.”
Many believe that ragging which crosses the border of fun and takes on the form of harassment and torment is a crime that deserves punishment. “In some cases ragging is akin to molestation. Raggers need to be punished and made to apologise to their juniors. Instead we now have the court, if not fully but partially, supporting the culprits,” says Jahnavi Gill, a physiotherapist.
Madhurima Das, mother of an 18-year-old student at a girls college in Delhi University, believes this move will embolden raggers and says, “I am highly disappointed by the court’s thought-process. It certainly sends out a wrong message. There will be no fear among students now and raggers will do what they feel like. If the court is so concerned, why can’t we have a ragging-free environment in colleges?”
Those who’ve faced the horrors of ragging disapprove of the lenient turn. Ankit Singhal (name changed), a final year engineering student says, “When I joined college in 2007, one night our seniors came to my hostel room and started making derogatory comments about my appearance. When I and my roommate objected, the three lashed at us with leather belts and even hit us with bricks. With the law made easier now, I fear that a larger number of students will become victims of ragging.”
Many think seniors need to be made aware of the consequences of ragging. They should be told that their act can badly affect freshers mentally as well as physically and can even drive them to take extreme steps. Reacting to the directive, Dr Kanan Nanda, principal, Daulat Ram College says that one can’t have just one rule to punish all. “All the cases need to be studied thoroughly to ascertain the extent of the fault. If a student deserves to be punished, he should be punished. In our campus, we appeal to seniors not to indulge in ragging and inform them about the repercussions of their intolerant actions,” she adds.
Dr Pratibha Jolly, principal, Miranda House, feels it is a good idea and adds that ragging is not always intended to hurt somebody. “But if something goes wrong, it affects a student’s career adversely. It is not that we won’t take any action if there are complaints. Students have been pulled up for bad behaviour. It is then we bring in student counsellors and parents to guide them, followed by the process of rehabilitation,” she says.