Andhra govt wants ragging curbed with iron hand, asks officials to be alert

The Andhra Pradesh government has told officials to do away with ragging in medical colleges with an iron hand after a student in Telangana committed suicide unable to bear harassment at the hands of seniors.

Health Minister Vidadala Rajini told a meeting attended by principals of government and private medical colleges in Amaravati that all medical colleges in Andhra must be alert to the menace of ragging.

Also read: Unnatural death of student: HC asks IIT KGP to submit report on steps taken against ragging

Harassment in any form should not be exerted on medicos anywhere. Anti-ragging committees must function actively in colleges, an official statement on Tuesday quoted the Minister as saying.

Act against ragging

If any student got ragged, the minister said the director of medical education (DME) and university vice chancellor must directly monitor the incident.

She called for regular updates from college anti-ragging committees.

The minister warned that some senior professors were exerting undue pressure on post graduate students due to their own parallel clinic businesses, adding that “these side businesses must end”.

Rajini instructed all colleges to set up counselling sessions for students, including arranging yoga and meditation, to overcome pressure.

Colleges were also told to fix complaint boxes and install a public address system to quickly send across any message.

Female students

Every female student should use the Disha app. Accommodation has to be separate for seniors and juniors with different dining schedules, ensuring they don’t have the same meal time.

Also read: UGC suggests measures to deal with ragging on university campuses

Recently, D Preethi, a 26-year-old medical student from a Warangal medical college, ended her life, unable to bear alleged harassment from seniors.

Besides private medical colleges, Andhra Pradesh runs 18 government medical colleges, including a couple of dental colleges.

(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, TN health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)

(With agency inputs)