Sambalpur: The Odisha government on Thursday ordered a probe into the brutal ragging of junior students of Vir Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), in Burla after a video of the indiscriminate and inhumane torture by the seniors on the hostel premises went viral on social media.
Talking to the media, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Premananda Nayak said he has asked the Registrar of VSSUT to probe into the incident and submit a report in a week. Appropriate action will be taken on the basis of the report, he pointed out.
While the incident has shocked parents and guardians across the state, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr Atal Choudhury, who had pleaded ignorance about the incident earlier, later put up a brave face saying that he will take appropriate action.
In the video, about 100 senior students are seen tearing the shirts of more than 50 junior students inside the dining hall of the hostel during the welcome ceremony. The seniors are seen slapping the juniors while asking them to run down the stairs.
However, no complaint has been lodged either before the authorities of the institution or the police by any junior student.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), in pursuance of the directive of the Supreme Court, had recently directed all the union territories and states to take immediate steps to check ragging on the campuses of higher education institutions from the current academic session. The Commission had also issued a set of guidelines to curb such a heinous act with a warning that violation of these guidelines or failure by the universities in the strict implementation of these guidelines and punishing the offenders will be dealt with under the UGC Act.
According to available data, 3,022 ragging cases were reported in the country between 2013 and 2017. More than 500 cases were reported in 2018 alone.
While Uttar Pradesh tops the ragging list, several ragging cases have been reported from Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan and Karnataka in the last six years.
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