UGC Declares Harassment via WhatsApp Groups as Ragging Offense

Quick Summary:

• Teh University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a directive to higher education institutions to monitor informal WhatsApp groups created to harass juniors,deeming such actions as ragging under anti-ragging rules.
• Every year, the UGC receives numerous complaints from freshers about harassment by seniors.
• Common practices include mental harassment via informal WhatsApp groups, social boycott threats, forcing juniors to cut their hair, stay awake excessively long hours, or subjecting them to verbal humiliation.
• The UGC emphasized that student safety on campus is “paramount and non-negotiable.”
• Institutions failing to enforce anti-ragging norms may face severe consequences including withholding of grants.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The UGC’s directive underscores the evolving forms of ragging in educational settings with technology playing a role in enabling new modes of harassment. By identifying social media platforms like WhatsApp as potential tools for abuse and warning against disciplinary negligence, this advisory aims not only at reforming institutional accountability but also curbing systemic bullying among peers. Strict enforcement could reinforce students’ trust in campus safety mechanisms while acting as a deterrent against mental exploitation disguised as hierarchical hazing rituals.

Institutions must balance monitoring with privacy concerns and ensure measures are inclusive without stigmatizing general peer-to-peer communication on online mediums. This proactive step may hold significance for shifting mindsets around what constitutes hostile behavior beyond physical acts alone-a much-needed approach in modern educational environments where technology intersects interpersonal dynamics.

Read more: Source Link

!Image