With a considerable number of educational institutions not offering physical classes owing to the coronavirus pandemic, some 300 ragging complaints were recorded to the University Grants Commission (UGC) helpline by education institutions in India, since June last year, states a report by the Times of India.
The narrative also mentions that with classes now being conducted online, the helpline has witnessed a surge in cases recorded in the virtual arena. Additionally, cases are dominantly being reported from medical colleges amongst other health science establishments.
The report also accounts that in 40%-50% of the aggregate cases noted, online harassment has been faced by students. Additionally, nearly 18 cases in Maharashtra were recorded in the said duration, enunciated the report.
According to a manager of the national anti-ragging helpline of the UGC, chat groups that are created to synchronize activities, witness offensive language. The report also accounted that numbers are being shared without the owner’s permission. The manager also elucidated that with greater awareness, even minor cases are being reported.
There have been several accounts of students receiving calls from classmates at erratic hours. Additionally, with online classes, group chats are made where numbers are public and thus, misused by some.
The report also states that over half of the 18 cases in Maharashtra are from medical institutions. This is followed by engineering, management, pharmacy, law, with most complaints from private colleges.
The Aman Satya Kachroo Trust monitors the UGC ragging complaints helpline.
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