The
authorities in Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology(VSSUT) in western
Odisha which recently witnessed an ugly incident of ragging pronounced
punishment for the students who were involved in the heinous and inhuman crime.
While ten students were barred from appearing in examinations for a year, 52
others were asked to cough up a fine of only Rupees two thousand each.
The
punishment is too mild. It will no way help in treating a disease like ragging.
The need of the hour is exemplary punishment and not soft punishment like a
fine of Rupees two thousand and debarring from examinations for a year. The
students who were involved in such heinous crime should have been rusticated
from the university with immediate effect and criminal cases should have been
registered against them. By announcing mild punishment VSSUT authorities proved
to the world that they were not serious so far as handling of the important
issue is concerned.
If
media reports are to be believed, after the incident the anti-ragging squad of
the university had become proactive and it was decided that the squad members
as well as members of the faculties would visit the hostels frequently. Now the
question is why the anti-ragging squad of the institution had not become
pro-active and watchful right from the beginning. VSSUT had previous record of
ragging incidents. This should have prompted the authorities to remain watchful
right from the word go. The state government should take the university
authorities to task for this and exemplary punishment should also be handed out
to the teaching staff and others for the negligence.
While speaking on the issue on a local TV news channel, a commentator
was heard saying that the students who were involved in VSSUT ragging needed to
be treated for mental sickness. He is absolutely right. No student with a
stable and normal mind would indulge in such inhuman act like ragging. In fact,
the university authorities should get in touch with the parents of these students
and advise them to treat their children for mental sickness.
The VSSUT incident also brought to the fore the issue of lack of proper
parenting of the children which had already become a major problem across
India. No child would involve in as inhuman a crime as ragging if he or she is
brought by parents properly and normally.
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