Central helpline gets 82 calls from state

Maharashtra is among the top five states when it comes to complaints received on the anti-ragging helpline run by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, set up after the death of medical college student Aman Kachroo.

Maharashtra is among the top five states when it comes to complaints received on the anti-ragging helpline run by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, set up after the death of medical college student Aman Kachroo.

Uttar Pradesh topped with the maximum complaints made to the helpline (313), followed by West Bengal (208), Orissa (146), Madhya Pradesh (121) and Maharashtra (82). The figures reflect complaints received since the helpline was started in June 2009 until August 7 this year. In total the helpline has received 1,488 complaints.

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Kachroo was a student at a medical college in Himachal Pradesh, who died after being beaten up by his seniors.

“In some states authorities are not serious about dealing with ragging,” said Dr Raj Kachroo, founder trustee of the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust. “In Maharashtra, Mumbai is clean but we get complaints from Nagpur and rural areas.”

Most of the complaints to the helpline are from engineering (696) and medical colleges (158).

In 2009, the UGC introduced a regulation with a view to curbing ragging following Kachroo’s death.

However, in the past year, the state has seen only three complaints being made to the helpline. None of the recent complaints made on the helpline this year are from Mumbai. “People are more enlightened and aware in a city like Mumbai,” said Mrudul Nile, director of students welfare at the university. The university has a nine-member anti-ragging committee that looks into complaints.

However, many cases go unreported. “Students are scared of the consequences of complaining and are worried about revenge,” said AB Shendre, president of the Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar Teachers’ Association in the state. “Principals also do not take action as they don’t want to spoil the name of the institution.”