‘UP campuses top in ragging, 38% cases from med colleges’

Lucknow: With 15 and 34 cases, Lucknow University and Atal Bihari Vajpayee University in the state capital recorded the maximum number of ragging complaints in 2024 at the national anti-ragging helpline run by the UGC, according to a State of Ragging in India 2022-24 report.Prepared by the Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE), a non-profit working closely with the national helpline to eradicate ragging in educational institutions, the report highlights medical institutions as hotspots, accounting for 38.6% of total complaints across the country, with 35.4% of a serious nature. In fact, 45.1%-- 23 out of 51 fatalities-- of the ragging-related deaths in the past three years came from medical colleges and universities.Based on 3,156 complaints registered at the national helpline from 1,946 colleges between 2022 and 2024, the report points out 51 deaths, with 20 in 2024 alone. In 2024, 1,084 complaints were recorded. Of this, 186 were from UP. West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh reported 108 and 91 complaints respectively. In three years, the BHU campus in UP, with 30 cases, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology in West Bengal, with 75 cases, have the highest ragging complaints in the colleges and universities category, respectively. From UP, the University of Lucknow (including colleges affiliated with it) reported 23 complaints of ragging in 2024. In terms of technical universities, 40 complaints were received from Lucknow's APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (including affiliated colleges) during 2022 to 2024. West Bengal's Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata, tops this list with 74 complaints.SAVE vice president Gaurav Singhal said: "Medical institutes report 30 times more ragging incidents in comparison to other institutes. We also found out that there is a severe crisis for first-year students in medical colleges. The alarming number of ragging deaths every year tells a sorry state of affairs in higher learning institutions."Reflecting on the broader implications, national secretary for awareness & advocacy at SAVE Ajay Govind said: "It's been both surprising and disappointing to see that even in a post-COVID world, cases of ragging have not come down. While the numbers are concerning, the hope is that reports like this will initiate dialogue so that we can address institutional apathy, which allows ragging to happen in the first place." The report offers recommendations, including anonymous complaint mechanisms, improved hostel surveillance, and introduction of dedicated anti-ragging squads.