Act against ragging, medical colleges told
2 min read 08 Jun 2023, 11:15 PM ISTThe apex medical education regulator has received complaints from students related to ragging which the regulator has forwarded to the colleges.
PremiumNew Delhi: The National Medical Commission has told medical colleges to enforce anti-ragging measures amid mounting reports of ragging, with some ending in suicides.
The apex medical education regulator has received complaints from students related to ragging which the regulator has forwarded to the colleges.
Although the NMC came up with regulations for the prevention and prohibition of ragging in 2021, no compliance report has been submitted by the colleges.
The NMC now wants colleges to submit action taken reports (ATR) by the end of June.
Ragging, a form of bullying, is the practice of subjecting new students to humiliating or abusive behaviour.
“We have details of around 600 colleges who have provided details of Deans and Convenor of Anti Ragging Committee and more than 550 who have submitted details of suicide by students. However, no college of its own has submitted annual return as required under Anti Ragging Act of NMC," said an official aware of the matter.
Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson did not elicit any response.
Furthermore, the regulator has asked the colleges to ensure that the period of 31 March should include all the complaints received after under graduate & post graduate admissions of the 2021 & 2022 batch.
“We have asked the medical colleges to strictly comply with the Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Medical Colleges and Institutions, Regulations 2021. Around one-and-a-half years have already elapsed since the issuance of these regulations, yet medical colleges have not submitted the said report. A letter has been sent today only," added the official.
Apart from medical colleges, there have been multiple instances of ragging incidences in the other stream educational institutions.
Last in a reply to Parliament question, minister of state (MoS) for education Annapurna Devi said that from 2018 to December 10, 2021, University Grants Commission (UGC) received 2,790 complaints of ragging, including 219 in 2020 and 485 in 2021. A total of 620 students were suspended and 17 were rusticated.