Bhubaneswar: To create a secure and supportive campus environment for students, the Odisha Higher Education Department has directed all higher education institutions in the state to form or reconstitute mandatory safety committees and anti-ragging mechanisms prior to commencement of the 2026–27 academic session.
The official communications, issued by Joint Secretary Mousumi Nayak, apply to government, private and deemed-to-be universities, degree colleges, Sanskrit colleges and teacher education colleges under the department’s purview. The directives instruct university Registrars and college Principals to immediately execute and implement the safety frameworks within a strict seven-day timeline.
Institutions are required to conduct an urgent review of existing committee rosters to replace members who have retired, transferred, or resigned, filling any administrative vacancies to ensure complete operational readiness.
Under the directive, higher education institutions must operationalize and review multiple statutory mechanisms:
Anti-Ragging Infrastructure: Immediate reconstitution and review of Anti-Ragging Committees, Anti-Ragging Squads, and Anti-Ragging Monitoring Cells or independent monitoring bodies.
Sexual Harassment Prevention: Activation and restructuring of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) governed by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
Grievance and Mental Health Redressal: Strengthening of Student Grievance Redressal Committees, Student Service Centres, psychological counselling units, and the appointment or activation of an Ombudsperson where applicable.
Universities and colleges are further required to display the names, designations, official email addresses and phone numbers of committee chairpersons, nodal officers and members prominently on notice boards and official websites to ensure transparency and easy access for students.
Enforcement will involve strict ground monitoring. Regional Directorates of Higher Education spanning Odisha’s Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern zones are tasked with conducting physical inspections and audits to verify compliance.
Institutions failing to complete the reorganisation and demonstrate functional safety mechanisms within the stipulated seven-day period risk administrative and disciplinary action, it added.