Ragging, a bane for freshers

On october 11, anti-ragging day was celebrated in educational institutions all over the country. It was commemorated with the death of Amit Sahai, who was committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving train on this day in 2005, unable to bear the mental torture by seniors in the name of ragging.
Ragging is a form of abuse, harrassment either physically or mentally by senior students on newcomers to educational institutions. Most of the countries already banned it and our constitution followed the same.
In some educational institutions, some senior students force the newcomers to undergo several forms of mental, physical and sexual abuses. It may run for day/two or for months. In some times seniors used this opportunity to exploit money from the juniors. The juniors are usually too frightened to resist it as they are unfamiliar with the environment.
According to psychologists, weak minded students may suffer from serious psychological trauma followed by ragging, which may continue to take its toll through post-traumatic stress disorders. Occasionally, there may be physical injury, and some may even commit suicide. In some times it may leads to campus violence.
An Indian anti-ragging group in it's report in 2007 says that 60 per cent of ragging in educational institutions in the year were related to physical ragging, and 20 per cent were sexual in nature. Adding, seven ragging deaths were reported from different parts of the country in the year alone.
In India, several states have banned it. The Supreme Court in it's judgement in 2001 termed the ragging as unconstitutional and directed the educational institutions to take strict measures to curb the menace. But, most of the institutions usually turn a blind eye and rather tries to hush up in fear of loss of reputation.
Society does not consider it as a criminal act and treated culprits the same. Moreover, in most of the times victims will not come forward to file compliant against culprits and latter will get scot free due to lack of evidence.
To eradicate ragging, awareness should be created among student fraternity. Educational institutions have to implement the anti-ragging rules strictly.

- Mahabaleshwar Honnemadike