26. Ragging and related problems in REC

 The period from 1975 – 78 was a very difficult time in REC Calicut, for teaching staff, nonteaching staff and students. Small problems which could be solved as and when it occurs took gigantic shape over the years partly due to the rigidity of the administration and partly due to the callous dealing of these. Most of the problems associated with students were connected with ragging, now accepted as a social evil. Once upon a time, REC was notorious for ragging. The students in REC were coming from different states with different cultural backgrounds. Many of them must have been staying outside their house for the first time. Totally new people coupled with totally new environment and even unfamiliar food make these teenage children homesick and tense. In addition, the troubles brought on them by seemingly harmless ragging by the seniors were sometimes enough to upset their balance. Ragging starts in simple harmless mode as just familiarization with the seniors but sometimes there were occasions when this fell into the abyss of physical torture. Purpose of the ragging is just to make the juniors learn how to live in the campus, respecting the seniors. The instructions for this were quite a few. Do not roam around the campus in dhoti, but wear only pants and shirts. Remove the moustache if you have one, must salute seniors whenever they see them and do not smoke cigarettes in front of seniors etc. If anyone disobeys these orders, they will be questioned individually or in groups. Making fun of them, asking them to sit on imaginary chairs, forcing to say bad words etc. If anyone refuses to obey these, the quantum and type of punishment will change. Students coming from different backgrounds cannot be expected to behave in a uniform manner. Occasionally, the refusal of the freshers to obey these could even lead to physical assault based on the reaction of the junior students. All these create a very difficult situation for the wardens for the first few months after new admission. It was rumoured once that a dead body of a youngster found in the temple pond at Thali in the city was due to ragging in REC as per some newspapers. Also, two movies were made based on the ragging in REC Calicut. 

Another problem was the interference of political parties or leaders with the students involved in ragging. Most of the students in REC and now in NITC do not want to become tools in the hands of political parties, but a few committed persons always tried to create an opportunity for making some headway. As these were relatively few in number, we, the staff members could easily manage them and keep them under control. But if any student is punished for ragging, these dormant boys will awaken and will try to create problems in the campus by rallying behind those punished. Such a thing happened once.

A group of students from REC came together as an anti-ragging group and conducted a public meeting in Kattangal with a few leaders of some parties. Majority of the students were against such a formation even though many were against ragging of any form. With this, there were several clashes between groups of students seemingly for ragging and against ragging. Attempt to bring in local people into the campus in the name of anti-ragging also failed miserably. However, a few ripples could be created for a few days in the college on this count.

We, in REC, had   created a very clear set of instructions and procedures for dealing with ragging of any sort. If someone is caught in the act of ragging, immediately a preliminary inquiry will be held on the spot and would be submitted to the Principal or Chief Warden on the same day or next morning if the incident happened in the night. College Council will then examine the preliminary report and if any prima farcie case  exists , the  culprits will be suspended  pending enquiry and a committee will be constituted to conduct a detailed enquiry. The enquiry committee will issue a memo of charges and collect a written statement etc.  There will be a series of sitting as if in a court and at the end of this committee will give detailed report accepting all or part of the charges framed against the culprits. College council will study the report of the enquiry committee and based on the charges proved, quantum of punishment will be decided after discussions by consensus.  Based on the severity of the charges proved, the students found guilty may be even expelled from the college or hostel or both or confirm or extend the period of suspension. There was no question of any violation of the principles of natural justice. When some  punished student went to the high court of Kerala, the  Hon. Judge  Chettoor Sankaran Nair  once commented that “ They have done an admirable job of conducting a detailed enquiry without any loop holes and there is no reason   for this court  to interfere with the  punishment meted out to the culprits”. College administration never went against the decision of the Council nor try to dilute the punishment at the behest of recommendations from leaders of any parties or even from members of the  council of ministers.

In  any case, the  notoriety of REC  in ragging is gone  for the  last 15 – 20 years due to the  strict vigil and effective  measures in protecting the  freshers from the  possibility  of ragging. Newly admitted students  were to live together and stay in A Hostel and Wardens and other senior members of faculty in batches  used  to do almost round the clock patrolling  in this  hostel. Ragging was brought under control by these stringent measures. Naturally a question may arise whether it is right to keep the adult boys in hostels like broiler chicken under strict watch and vigil, but as things were slipping out of control from our hand too many times, this was the only successful way of keeping the social evil called ragging away from the campus. However, it is understood that recently ragging is made state-wise, i.e. students coming from a particular state  used to be  helped by the seniors  in familiarizing them with the campus and  subsequently  ragging  also was done strictly  by  students  of the same state. Whether it is ragging or interstate cricket matches in the campus, it should be remembered that RECs were formed to promote national integration, not to promote disintegration or separatism. We cannot allow separatist tendencies in such a temple of learning. Anti-national or inter-state rivalries cannot be allowed to rise in our educational institutions at all.