Ragging is any disorderly conduct, whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any student indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which cause or are likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension therefore in fresher or junior student and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the psyche of a fresher or a junior student. (The honorable Supreme Court of India Judgment 2001)
Though the ragging is a type of harassment it was a tradition in early history of colleges. We can name ragging as teasing, bullying or torturing. And most of the senior students use it as fun making revenge or belittling others by developing anxieties among them.
Now ragging is one of the most disturbing act in our university system. Over the years we lost innocent lives because of ragging and it almost ruined future of thousands of students since they left universities during the rag season and never come back.
22 years old Rupa Rathnaseeli was the first victim of ragging in year 1975 at University of Peradeniya. She jumped off the hostel building to escape from physical ragging and became paralyzed. And she committed suicide in year 2002.
Statistics show 15 students have died so far, two have committed suicide, 25 have been disabled, six sexually abused and more than 6,000 students have left universities, all because of ragging by seniors and the failure of university and State authorities to take effective countermeasures or implement the law strictly. (The heartbreak of ragging | Daily FT, www.ft.lk › FT View Editorial)
Although the Government’s prevention of ragging while passing the Prohibition of Ragging and other forms of violence in educational institutions act in year 1998, it is still found that some authorities continue to support ragging and justify it helping university students adjust for the outside world and get know with people.
In 2002 3rd year Management student in University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Samantha Vithanage was a member of an anti-ragger group and attempted to stop ragging in university with his colleagues. During a discussion with raggers, he was killed by them using a heavy computer monitor to smash his head. And that was the first turning point of ant-ragging movement which made all students, academic staff, government, media and Sri Lankan people act against ragging.
But are we succeeded?
Pasindu Hirushan 1st year Management student in the same university is struggling for life at the moment due to brain injuries that had been caused by a heavy tyre which has been dropped to his head by senior students from upstairs.
It has been a long time since people started to recognize ragging as an issue that needs an immediate solution. Though we imposed set of laws and regulations it will never give a solution for the psychological side. It has already destroyed many lives and careers. It is a wonder that victim who is severely abused by a senior and makes that ragger his friendly senior after few months and start to believe the process and go front to practice same ragging system on juniors. It is like a never ending loop. Though the number of students scarifies their lives to bring justice or make a change in system it is still happening and taking lives.
Why ragging is becoming such an important practice in universities?
Ragging has many phases, including psychological, social, political and cultural. And that it unfavorably impacts the standards of higher education. Ragging also be described as bullying. Bullying is one of the most common forms of harassment that can be seen in society. Ragging is using as a measuring tool to test the courage of seniors. And do the ragging to highlight in their peers' group. Most of the time ragging starts as healthy interactions and with the pressure and excitement, it always turns into fatal.
Stockholm syndrome is the most related occurrence of ragging. What is “Stockholm syndrome” or “terror bonding”? It is defined as the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with or empathize with his or her captor (abuser). This is not a mental disorder. But just a syndrome. (blog.presdcholar.com).
Psychologists say anyone can become a victim of this syndrome when it is a threat to survival, the victim’s sensitivity of small kindness from the abuser, isolation from ideas other than those of the abuser and inability to escape. This Stockholm syndrome develops emotional bonds called terror bonds among victims and abusers. Therefore during the ragging junior students and seniors form the same bond and later juniors recreate their personalities to follow their seniors and continue the same practice in next year with new junior batch.
Does it applicable to our current victim Pasindu Hirushan. I believed he also was a victim of Stockholm syndrome. He faced for ragging the last few months with his seniors and but never went against or raise any complaint. He joined with fresher’s social party to mark the end of the ragging period and enjoyed the day with seniors till early morning. Seniors were drunken and their intention is not clear as we cant say they wanted to rag juniors during the social party. This whole incident may be a play that went wrong. And Pasindu has to suffer.
Ragging is a psychological disorder. Along with strict laws and regulations, we must create awareness among students. It will help to break this ritual process and stop.
By W A L Imali
10/03/2020
