Highly Deplorable Ragging in Kerala: Bully Mindset

I am a senior citizen, a retired professor, and retired from an academic organization of the Government of India. As an academician, in my service days, I traveled across the country for academic activities, viz., research and training. When I visited Kerala, I was happy to see the development, and one of the development programmes is "Kudumbashree." Also, Kerala is widely recognized for its significant social development in areas like education, healthcare, and social security, often considered a model for other Indian states, with high literacy rates, long life expectancy, and low infant mortality rates, even when compared to developed countries, despite having a relatively lower per capita income; this phenomenon is often referred to as the "Kerala Model."

During the last few days in print, electronic, and social media, I learned about the worst form of ragging in educational institutes in Kerala. Ragging is abuse, humiliation, or harassment of new entrants or junior students by senior students. It often takes a malignant form, wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or physical torture. In 2009, the University Grants Commission of India imposed regulations upon Indian universities to help curb ragging and launched a toll-free 'anti-ragging helpline.' Ragging is a subset of bullying. Unlike various complex forms of bullying, ragging is easily recognisable.

According to University Grants Commission (India)'s anti-ragging cell data, 511 ragging complaints were registered in India in 2021. Inaction and underreporting were cited as significant causes of encouraging ragging. Medical colleges lead in ragging complaints, mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Anyway, in Kerala, the third incident of assault in the name of ragging took place at an educational institute in the state in recent weeks. The latest instance was reported at the Government College, Kariavattom, in the state capital on February 11, 2025, based on the complaint of a first-year student who alleged that he was tortured by senior students inside the unit room of the SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), the lead of the LDF alliance currently in power in the state.

Bins Jose, a first-year biotechnology student who was the victim of ragging, said he was tied up and assaulted inside the room by SFI members. Jose said, “My friend Abhishek and I were walking through the campus when the senior students stopped us. While my friend managed to run away, the seniors dragged me to the SFI unit room. There, they removed my belt and hit me in the face. They made me kneel and used a bamboo pole to hit my head” (Hindustan Times, 19/2/25, reported by Vishnu Varma). This incident has upset me awfully. Such students are dangerous to society regardless of their political ideology. I request all the rational people of the state to raise their voices against such 'criminal activities.' So that no one can dare to do such activities in the state or anywhere in the country; also, I request that political party leaders not be sympathetic to such 'criminals.' Such things cannot be tolerated in the modern age and a civilized country like ours.

Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad