NHRC issues notices to the Telangana Government, Union Education Ministry and UGC over reported incident of brutal ragging and assault at a Hyderabad college

New Delhi, 15th November, 2022

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports that a 1st year student of BBA LLB at IBS College hostel in Shankarpally, Hyderabad was ragged, brutally assaulted and compelled to raise religious slogans by a group of students on 1st November, 2022. Reportedly, the victim approached the college management but they did not react promptly. A case was registered by the police only on 11th November, 2022 on a complaint by e-mail sent by the victim.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, amount to human rights violations of the victim due to sheer negligence, lack of supervision and inherent failure of the college administration to ensure the safety and security of each and every student within the campus of IBS College. It appears that nothing has improved despite the UGC Regulation on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions way back in 2009.

The Commission has further observed that if a slew of measures like regular interaction and counseling of the students to identify an early indication of ragging by holding surprise inspections at hostels, students’ accommodations, canteens, recreation rooms, toilets, etc. were implemented, this unwarranted incident of ragging may have been prevented.

Accordingly, the Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Telangana calling for a report within six weeks in the matter. It should include an action taken report, along with the reasons for the prima facie failure of the institution to take adequate steps to prevent ragging in accordance with the University Grants Commission, UGC regulation, and the steps taken or proposed to be taken to punish the perpetrators of the incident of ragging, its abettors and sympathizers by attracting punitive action under the UGC Act. He has also been asked to explain whether the victim has been suspended by the college, and if yes, in what circumstances.

A notice has also been issued to the Director General of Police, Telangana, regarding the status of the criminal case registered against all the assailants and teaching / non-teaching staff of the college concerned as reported in the news report.

Further, a notice has been sent to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Education as well as the Secretary, UGC to submit reports regarding the effective implementation of the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee on “The Menace of Ragging in Educational Institutions and Measures to curb it” , affirmed by the Supreme Court of India for educational institutions across the country.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has noted that the Supreme Court in the case of University of Kerala vs. Council, Principals’ Colleges, Kerala [(2009) 7 SCC 726], in no uncertain terms has stated that the heads of institutions / members of the administration, be mandatorily panelized for not taking timely action against ragging for failure to sensitize teaching / non-teaching staff or employees working in the hostels and messes. It has also noted that the UGC has extended its definition of ragging vide its third amendment in its Regulation of 29th June, 2016 by including the following:-

“3. (i) Any act of physical or mental abuse (including bullying and exclusion) targeted at another student (fresher or otherwise) on the ground of colour, race, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender (including transgender), sexual orientation, appearance, nationality, regional origins, linguistic identity, place of birth, place of residence or economic background.”

The NHRC has observed that it seems that the dissemination of information by using creative methods including using apps as well as running anti-ragging media campaigns in public domain to build awareness are not visible in public domain to deter perpetrators of such a crime and to have ragging free campus remain non-effective to ensure the safety and security of the individual students without affecting their privacy.

*****