Adopting zero tolerance policy against ragging, Panjab University (PU), on Wednesday, announced that ragging was a cognizable offence and that all forms of ragging had been banned on as well as off campus.
The university has also declared helpline numbers as well as email ids so as to reporting any incident of ragging. Students can lodge a complaint to the deputy registrar(DSW) via email on dsw@pu.ac.in.
PU spokesman said any student, who becomes a victim of ragging should immediately inform the concerned chairperson/warden about the same. Besides, students can also complain to dean student welfare, deputy registrar (DSW), chief-security officer or security officers. The mobile numbers of the officers have also been published in the handbook of information and on the the PU website respectively.
The spokesman added that abetment to ragging, criminal conspiracy to rag, unlawful assembly and rioting while ragging, public nuisance created during ragging, violation of decency and morals through ragging, injury to body, causing hurt or grievous hurt, wrong restraint, wrongful confinement, use of criminal force, assault as well as sexual offences or unnatural offences, extortion, criminal trespass, offences against property, criminal intimidation, physical or psychological humiliation and other such such offences would be considered as ragging.
The form of punishment could include cancellation of admission, suspension from attending classes and academic privileges, withholding/withdrawing scholarship/fellowship and other benefits, debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process, withholding results, debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet/tournament/youth festival, etc., suspension/expulsion from the
hostel, rustication from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for a specified period, fine ranging between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, and even rigorous imprisonment upto three years.
The form of punishment could include cancellation of admission, suspension from attending classes and academic privileges, withholding/withdrawing scholarship/fellowship and other benefits, debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process, withholding results, debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet/tournament/youth festival, etc., suspension/expulsion from the
hostel, rustication from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for a specified period, fine ranging between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, and even rigorous imprisonment upto three years.
When the person committing or abetting the crime of ragging are not indentified, the respective institution shall resort to collective punishment.
Dean student welfare, professor Navdeep Goyal, informed that in year 2013-14, no incident of ragging occurred on the campus. “We look forward to complete harmony in the future as well,” he added.