Ending ragging culture

Ragging of freshmen at public university halls is a common phenomenon. The new entrants in a university are often forced to stay awake late at night and are subjected to extreme abuse and humiliation by senior students. It starts usually from midnight. When a new batch of students arrives in a university, senior students start making fun of them in the name of ragging. Instead of welcoming them cordially, some senior students start teaching them the so-called manners of the university. Sometimes, they make the juniors sing and dance in public. This is quite humiliating and disturbing for the new students. Ragging is getting widespread as not many people are aware of the mental trauma that it can cause. Sometimes, it can be violent too.

Of late, incidents of ragging have taken place in their worst form at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Islamic University and Sher-e-Bangla Medical College campuses. Stories are doing the rounds on the social media with stories on victims of recent ragging. The extent of abuse is sometimes so severe that some students refuse to return to their classes. Some even try to commit suicide. This practice of humiliating new students should come to an end. In many countries in the world, ragging is a crime and banned on university campuses. There must be strict punishment for those who are involved in such activities. Ragging not only affects a person mentally but sometimes it can lead to physical harm. We urge the authorities concerned to stop this ragging culture as soon as possible and take appropriate action against those who are involved in ragging.

Mohammad Al-Amin,

Lecturer of Islamic History and Culture,

Comilla Cambrian College, Cumilla,

hossain.alaminpa@stud.cou.ac.bd