Ragging comes to the fore as CID takes over student suicide case

The Criminal Investigation Department this week recorded a statement from the mother of a Sabaragamuwa University student who is said to have committed suicide in 2015 after being ragged, an activist who accompanied her to the police said.

Wasantha Padmini Elvitigala alleges that her daughter, Amali Chathurika, took her life after becoming depressed due to repeated ragging. For three- and- a- half years, however, there was no police action. Anti-ragging activists and students told the Sunday Times that the law enforcement authorities have long viewed universities as being beyond their jurisdiction.

But change may be taking place. There are now five ongoing cases filed under the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act of 1998. It allows for bail to be refused and carries a maximum penalty of ten years rigorous imprisonment.

Amali’s story has re-ignited the debate about ragging. Activist Danushka Weerasekara told the Sunday Times that his movement plans to use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to get a 2015 internal report regarding the student’s case from university authorities.

Those who carry out ragging are known to focus on students from “popular schools”. “Students who speak fluent English or follow a concurrent course of studies such as CIMA are targeted and pressured not to speak in English or to discontinue parallel studies,” Danushka said. Marshals and student councillors at some universities do not get adequate support or resources from administrators to effectively protect students from ragging.

Without unified support from administrators and academics, marshals and student councillors cannot carry out their duties. University officials are often reluctant to lodge ragging complaints with the police as they fear the negative publicity it attracts, he claimed.

But the ongoing debate in the media coupled with President Maithripala Sirisena's statement that the the Higher Education Minister and University Grants Commission ( UGC) should take stern action against raggers has led more students and academics to collectively voice opposition to the fringe groups engaged in this inhuman practice.

A “zero tolerance” policy on ragging is essential, said Prof Lakshman Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Colombo. He said the university followed a procedure when a ragging incident is reported, sometimes leading to students being suspended based on the findings.

Once an incident is reported, it is presented to the University Council to investigate. His administration does not hesitate to lodge complaints with the police and his staff back him on this, Prof Dissanayake said, responding to claims that the authorities are reluctant to go to the police. The university environment should be one free of violence and abuse, he stressed, insisting that perpetrators of ragging should be punished. Discipline and open-mindedness are crucial to student development in universities.

Some of the miscreants could be suffering from mental illness. There must be mutual respect within the student community, he asserted, noting that the degradation of values in broader society may be a contributing factor that amplifies negative subcultures like ragging.

The Colombo University has initiated “grievance committees” to help resolve student concerns and disputes between factions. The Institute of Indigenous Medicine ( IIM) in Rajagiriya, where ragging was reported to be rampant, was separate from the main Colombo University site, the VC said, and has developed its own subculture. But the IIM warden and sub- warden have been instructed to produce a report, he said. “My door is always open to any student or student body to discuss concerns as long as procedure is followed ,” Prof Dissanayake said.

Ragging does not start at universities, says Dr Chandrika Jayasinghe, a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya. A consultant physician and author of the book ‘ Ragging in Higher Education Institutions’, she said the practice begins in schools. At times, it was at the hands of prefects who are overly

Those who force brutal physical acts, sexual intimidation and sexual abuse on students may have inferiority complexes, low self-esteem and antisocial traits. Some may be deriving sadistic sexual pleasures by observing the pain and humiliation the freshers undergo

empowered by school administrators for their convenience.

Students carry out ragging due to a range of reasons, Dr Jayasinghe analysed. Some believe it is a part of university tradition or do not want to feel excluded. Others do it out of a desire to dominate others and feel superior within the student community. Jealousy and a desire to please seniors are also significant causes.

Eroding values and dignity within the broader Sri Lankan society is related to the culture of ragging, Dr Jayasinghe noted, echoing the Colombo University VC’s sentiments.

Those who force brutal physical acts, sexual intimidation and sexual abuse on students may have inferiority complexes, low self-esteem and anti- social traits, Dr Jayasinghe said. Some may be deriving sadistic sexual pleasures by observing the pain and humiliation the freshers undergo at their hands.

To mitigate the cycle of abuse and prevent future generations from having to undergo such trauma, Dr Jayasinghe urged all authorities to “genuinely” follow an official zero tolerance policy. Talking about a “good side” of ragging or promoting nostalgic views from their own experiences in the past will not help bring an end to this horrendous practice, she said.

There was inadequate support from the university administrations to educate students on their rights ans obligations and on how to report forms of ragging. More needs to be done to build the confidence of new students to report ragging acts and to encourage them to say “no”, Dr Jayasinghe said. “No to Ragging” should be a message delivered in a unified voice, she said.