anti ragging essay in english 300 words

Essay on Anti Ragging

Students are often asked to write an essay on Anti Ragging in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Anti Ragging

Understanding ragging.

Ragging is a harmful act where seniors in educational institutions bully newcomers. It can cause physical and emotional harm.

The Need for Anti-Ragging

Anti-ragging is necessary to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all students. It helps to promote respect and equality.

Anti-Ragging Measures

Schools can take steps like strict rules against ragging, awareness programs, and counseling sessions. These help to prevent ragging and protect students.

Role of Students

Students should stand against ragging, report incidents, and support victims. This can help to eliminate ragging.

250 Words Essay on Anti Ragging

Ragging, a term often associated with college life, refers to the act of harassing, abusing, or bullying someone, often under the guise of an initiation ritual. It is a practice that has been prevalent in educational institutions worldwide, and despite its illegality in many countries, it continues to persist.

The Anti-Ragging Movement

The Anti-Ragging movement is a significant step towards eliminating this harmful practice. It aims to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all students. The movement focuses on educating individuals about the negative impacts of ragging and promoting the values of empathy, respect, and equality.

The Necessity of Anti-Ragging

The necessity of the Anti-Ragging movement is undeniable. It is essential for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of students. Ragging can lead to severe psychological trauma, academic decline, and even suicide in extreme cases. By eliminating ragging, we can ensure a healthier, more conducive environment for learning and growth.

As students, it is our responsibility to support the Anti-Ragging movement. We can do this by refusing to participate in ragging activities, reporting incidents, and spreading awareness about its harmful effects.

In conclusion, the Anti-Ragging movement is a crucial initiative that requires collective effort. It is not just about eliminating a harmful practice but also about fostering a culture of respect and dignity. By supporting this movement, we can contribute to a safer, more inclusive educational environment for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Anti Ragging

Introduction.

Ragging is a social evil that has percolated the fabric of higher education institutions worldwide. It is a form of abuse on newcomers to educational institutions in India and various other countries. It ranges from innocuous fun to serious abuses, sometimes resulting in grave physical injuries or psychological trauma. This essay discusses the anti-ragging movement, its importance, and the steps taken to prevent this social malice.

The anti-ragging movement is an initiative to eradicate the practice of ragging and create a healthier, more respectful environment in educational institutions. It is a collective effort of governments, educational institutions, students, and parents. The goal is to foster a culture of respect, dignity, and equality, where every student feels safe and welcome. The movement also aims to instill a sense of responsibility among students and make them understand that ragging is not a rite of passage, but a violation of human rights.

Importance of Anti-Ragging

Ragging can leave a lasting impact on the victim’s mind, leading to severe psychological issues like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also lead to academic decline, dropout, and in extreme cases, even suicide. Therefore, the importance of the anti-ragging movement cannot be overstated. It not only safeguards the physical and mental health of students but also ensures a conducive environment for learning and growth.

Steps to Combat Ragging

To combat ragging, several steps have been taken at various levels. Legal measures are in place, with the Supreme Court of India defining ragging as a criminal offense. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also mandated all universities to establish an Anti-Ragging Committee to monitor and curb ragging activities.

Educational institutions are taking proactive measures, such as conducting awareness campaigns, workshops, and counseling sessions. They are also encouraging students to report any ragging incidents without fear of retaliation.

Moreover, technology has been leveraged to combat ragging. Online platforms have been developed where students can anonymously report ragging incidents. Mobile applications like ‘No More Ragging’ provide information about anti-ragging laws and helpline numbers.

Students play a crucial role in the anti-ragging movement. They must be aware of their rights and the laws against ragging. They should not succumb to peer pressure and participate in ragging activities. Instead, they should stand against it and report any incidents to the authorities. They can also form anti-ragging squads in their institutions to monitor and prevent ragging.

Ragging is a menace that needs to be eradicated from our educational institutions. The anti-ragging movement is a significant step towards achieving this goal. It is a collective responsibility of the government, educational institutions, students, and parents. By fostering a culture of respect and dignity, we can ensure a safe and conducive environment for learning and growth.

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Anti Ragging Essay – 10 Lines, 500 & 1000 Words

Anti Ragging Essay: This article of Anti Ragging Essay delves into the critical issue of anti-ragging, examining its impact on students and emphasizing the importance of creating safe and inclusive educational environments.

This Anti Ragging Essay discusses the detrimental effects of ragging on individuals’ mental and emotional well-being, explores preventive measures and regulations, and advocates for a culture of respect and support within educational institutions.

The essay aims to raise awareness about the consequences of ragging and encourage a collective effort to eradicate this harmful practice, fostering a positive and nurturing atmosphere for students.

Table of Contents

Anti Ragging Essay in 10 Lines

“This Anti Ragging Essay addresses the detrimental effects of ragging, advocates for preventive measures, and emphasizes the importance of fostering safe and respectful educational environments in 10 concise lines.”

• Ragging is a form of physical or mental harassment carried out by seniors against newcomers in educational institutions.
• It is a serious issue that can lead to emotional trauma, psychological distress, and even physical harm.
• Anti-ragging measures are crucial to create a safe and welcoming environment for students on campus.
• Educational institutions must have strict policies and regulations in place to prevent and address ragging incidents.
• Awareness campaigns should be conducted to educate students about the consequences of ragging and the importance of a friendly atmosphere.
• Student committees and anti-ragging squads can be established to monitor and curb such activities.
• Encouraging an open communication system can help victims report incidents without fear of reprisal.
• Strict disciplinary actions, including suspension or expulsion, should be taken against those found guilty of ragging.
• Counseling services should be readily available for victims to cope with the emotional aftermath of ragging.
• It is essential for the entire educational community to work together to eliminate ragging and foster a positive and supportive learning environment.

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Short Essay on Anti Ragging in English

The short essay on anti-ragging emphasizes the importance of strict policies, awareness campaigns, and collaborative efforts to eradicate this harmful practice and create a safe environment in educational institutions.

Ragging, a menace in educational institutions, undermines the well-being of newcomers. To combat this, strict anti-ragging policies are crucial, supported by proactive awareness campaigns.

Institutions must establish student committees and squads to monitor and prevent incidents. Open communication channels encourage victims to report, ensuring a swift response. Disciplinary actions, such as suspension or expulsion, should be applied to perpetrators.

Counseling services must be readily available to help victims cope emotionally. Overall, a united effort within the educational community is essential to eliminate ragging, fostering an environment where students can learn and grow without fear of harassment.

Anti Ragging Essay in 500 Words

The 500-word essay on anti-ragging delves into the pervasive issue within educational institutions, exploring the need for stringent policies, awareness initiatives, collaborative efforts, and support systems to eradicate ragging and create a secure learning environment for students.

Eradicating Ragging: Fostering a Safe Educational Environment

Ragging, a pervasive issue in educational institutions, poses a serious threat to the well-being of newcomers. This essay explores the dimensions of ragging, the detrimental effects it can have on individuals, and the imperative need for comprehensive measures to eradicate this harmful practice.

Ragging, often initiated by seniors against new students, manifests in various forms – from seemingly harmless pranks to outright physical and mental harassment. The consequences can be severe, leading to emotional trauma, psychological distress, and even physical harm. This not only jeopardizes the mental health of the victims but also creates a hostile atmosphere that hinders the overall learning experience.

To counteract ragging, educational institutions must implement and enforce strict anti-ragging policies. These policies should encompass a clear definition of ragging, explicit guidelines on prohibited activities, and the consequences for those found guilty. This framework acts as a deterrent, signaling the institution’s commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all students.

Equally crucial is the need for proactive awareness campaigns. Students, both new and existing, must be educated about the repercussions of ragging and the importance of fostering a welcoming atmosphere. Workshops, seminars, and orientation programs can play a pivotal role in creating a shared understanding of the detrimental effects of ragging and the role each student plays in preventing it.

In addition to policies and awareness, a collaborative approach involving students, faculty, and administrative staff is essential. Establishing anti-ragging committees and squads can provide a structured mechanism for monitoring and preventing ragging incidents. These bodies can act as a bridge between students and authorities, ensuring that incidents are reported and addressed promptly. A culture of open communication, where victims feel safe reporting incidents without fear of reprisal, is fundamental in breaking the cycle of silence surrounding ragging.

Disciplinary measures are a cornerstone in the fight against ragging. Institutions must demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach by swiftly and decisively penalizing those found guilty. Suspension, expulsion, and legal consequences should be part of the repercussions to send a strong message that ragging will not be tolerated.

Support systems for victims are equally vital. Counseling services should be readily available to help individuals cope with the emotional aftermath of ragging. Creating a safe space for victims to express their feelings and seek assistance is crucial for their recovery and well-being.

In conclusion, eradicating ragging requires a multi-faceted approach. Strict policies, awareness initiatives, collaborative efforts, and robust support systems are all integral components of creating a safe educational environment. By fostering a culture of respect, understanding, and empathy, educational institutions can ensure that students thrive in an atmosphere free from the shadow of ragging, focusing on their academic and personal growth.

Anti Ragging Essay in English in 1000 Words

The 1000-word essay on anti-ragging delves into the complexities of the issue, examining the detrimental effects of ragging on individuals and the educational environment while exploring comprehensive strategies such as strict policies, awareness campaigns, collaborative efforts, and support systems to eradicate ragging and foster a secure and conducive learning atmosphere.

Introduction

Ragging, a persistent issue in educational institutions, poses a serious threat to the well-being and psychological health of newcomers. This essay explores the multifaceted dimensions of ragging, examining its detrimental effects on individuals and the overall educational environment. It advocates for a comprehensive approach to eradication, incorporating strict policies, awareness campaigns, collaborative efforts, and robust support systems.

Understanding Ragging

Ragging encompasses a spectrum of behaviors, ranging from seemingly harmless pranks to outright physical and mental harassment initiated by seniors against new students. The detrimental consequences extend beyond the immediate victims, creating a hostile and fearful atmosphere that impedes the overall learning experience. Understanding the nuanced manifestations of ragging is crucial in formulating effective preventive measures.

The Impact of Ragging

The consequences of ragging can be severe and far-reaching. Victims often experience emotional trauma, psychological distress, and, in extreme cases, physical harm. The mental health of individuals subjected to ragging is compromised, hindering their ability to engage in academics and extracurricular activities. The pervasive fear instilled by ragging can lead to long-term repercussions, affecting the overall educational climate.

Strict Anti-Ragging Policies

A cornerstone in the eradication of ragging is the implementation of stringent anti-ragging policies within educational institutions. These policies should provide a clear definition of ragging, outline prohibited activities, and establish the consequences for those found guilty. By creating a robust regulatory framework, institutions send a strong message about their commitment to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all students.

Proactive Awareness Campaigns

Prevention begins with education. Proactive awareness campaigns play a pivotal role in enlightening students about the repercussions of ragging and the importance of cultivating a welcoming atmosphere. Workshops, seminars, and orientation programs serve as platforms to instill a shared understanding among both new and existing students regarding the detrimental effects of ragging and the collective responsibility in preventing it.

Collaborative Approach

Addressing ragging necessitates a collaborative effort involving students, faculty, and administrative staff. Establishing anti-ragging committees and squads provides a structured mechanism for monitoring and preventing incidents. These bodies act as intermediaries, ensuring effective communication between students and authorities and facilitating prompt action against ragging. A culture of open communication, where victims feel secure in reporting incidents without fear of reprisal, is fundamental in breaking the cycle of silence surrounding ragging.

Disciplinary Measures

A zero-tolerance approach is imperative in the fight against ragging. Disciplinary measures, such as suspension, expulsion, and legal consequences, should be swiftly and decisively applied to those found guilty. Demonstrating the severity of repercussions sends a clear message that ragging will not be tolerated within the educational institution.

Support Systems for Victims

Recognizing the need for support systems, educational institutions must ensure that counseling services are readily available for victims. Creating a safe space for individuals to express their feelings, seek assistance, and embark on the path of recovery is crucial. Support systems contribute significantly to mitigating the emotional aftermath of ragging and promoting the overall well-being of victims.

Cultivating a Positive Campus Culture

Fostering a positive campus culture is essential for the long-term eradication of ragging. Encouraging inclusivity, empathy, and mutual respect contributes to a harmonious educational environment. Educational institutions should actively promote a culture where students feel connected, supported, and free from the fear of harassment.

In conclusion, the eradication of ragging requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the issue comprehensively. Strict policies, proactive awareness campaigns, collaborative efforts, and robust support systems are integral components of creating a safe educational environment. By fostering a culture of respect, understanding, and empathy, educational institutions can ensure that students thrive in an atmosphere free from the shadow of ragging, focusing on their academic and personal growth. The collective commitment to eradicating ragging is not only a moral imperative but also a crucial step in shaping a positive and conducive learning environment for generations to come.

Addressing the menace of ragging is imperative for fostering a safe and nurturing educational environment. This Anti Ragging Essay has shed light on the detrimental effects of ragging on students’ mental and physical well-being, emphasizing the need for strict measures to curb this practice.

By implementing comprehensive anti-ragging policies, educational institutions can create a conducive atmosphere for learning, ensuring that students can focus on their academic pursuits without fear or intimidation.

It is crucial for both authorities and students to collaborate in eradicating ragging and promoting a culture of respect and empathy within educational institutions.

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Essay on Ragging | Paragraph on How To Prevent Ragging

Ragging essay : how to prevent ragging , what is ragging .

After passing out high school or higher secondary there is a long discussion in every home about where their child is going to study, their hostel , etc. Some students are lucky enough to get admission wherever they want to. Others get in their less preferred choices. Truth is however that maximum of these Hugh reputed colleges are equally good bad the faculties are equally qualified as their less glamorous counterparts. The only difference is that some of these emerge out to get more name and fame due to many situations.

Every college is now in a competitive mood and they are trying to improve both quality of teaching and their infrastructure. These competition renders out colleges as centers of good educational environment.

Students come to colleges with a lot of hopes and parents to send them for the same reason. That, they will pass out bright and will fetch them a secured future. But the road to that progress may not be as simple as it seems. There may be the existence of unthinking seniors who are lurking out at them to dominate them with their cruel or humiliating behavior.

Many students coming to colleges were previously not hostellers. They stay under the protection of their parents at their homely environment. Many of them feel very homesick, nervous and afraid of being away from home. At such situation seniors should be loving and welcoming them with kind behavior. Naturally every such child feel abandoned and lost. But instead on consideration, they get humiliation and unspeakable atrocities in the name of ragging.

Ragging literally means prank behavior. But in many hostels all sort of barbaric and humiliating behavior is shown by the seniors to the new entrants. They do it in the name of having some fun or to repeat doing the same to their predecessors, which their seniors did to them. In the name of fun whatever they do, it harasses the young mentally and physically. They get afraid and their self-esteem lowers.

Parents send their children to good colleges by spending so much of money and labor. Poor parents even have to sell or mortgage their patriarchal properties. Even they do that happily in the hope that the sacrifice will pay off. And their child will be able to shine. But they do not have any idea about what speed breakers would slow or break their children on the way. Many students commit suicide or run away from college getting fed up of ragging. Newspaper and other mass media often reports such cases. Naturally the children cannot take it. Getting to a new place needs time to get adjusted also. At that moment if somebody lowers down the self-respect and esteem, it is hurting them like hell. Even the academics get effected.

In spite of ban on ragging, these continues to occur. Local students are saved from ragging by staying at home but the outsiders have to face it all. Helplines are given and anti-ragging campaign is also setup at college. But something must surely be done to uproot this evil.

Questions :

• Essay on Ragging
• Paragraph on Ragging
• Article on Ragging
• Impact after Ragging
• How To Prevent Ragging

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Essay on “The Effects of Ragging” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

The Effects of Ragging

Synopsis: – Ragging is the action of scolding, teasing, criticizing or nagging a person. It is generally committed by the senior students. Ragging often takes place in hostels. There are a few senor students in every hostels  The new students were subjected to simple teasing and mock interviews. Today, it has degenerated into torture of the innocent. The new students who resist and complain to authorities are tortured the most. Ragging has some positive effects, but it should be discouraged. Effective steps need to be taken to deal with this problem.

The accurate meaning of the word ‘ragging’ is ‘to tease’, but even the dictionary says it is an archaic meaning. The main objective of ragging means of an interaction they get close and know one another. But in practice, it is nothing but a kind of torture. It is a form of an abuse on the newcomers of educational institutions in India.

Ragging is any disorderly conduct whether spoken or written or by an act which causes annoyance, hardship or psychological harm to a student. It is generally committed by senior students upon the first year students.

Ragging generally takes place in colleges and hostels. There are many tales of torture and humiliation that are associated with ragging. The new students feel that they are in for a series of practical jokes at the hands of the senior students. Once they fall into the clutches of the latter, they do not find a way to escape. There are a few senior students in every hostel who do not take enough interest in studies. They indulge in raging, bullying, etc. They create an image of themselves as rowdies. No one dares to interfere with their ways.

Ragging originated in the west. But today, it has reached the Indian society too. Young students enrolled in India’s 504 universities are plagued by ragging. At the start of every academic session, the media brings the news of suicides by new entrants, who no longer can bear the disgrace, ignominy and dishonor inflicted on them by their seniors. Ragging has caused intense fear and shattered the trust and ability of the new students to make send judgment about the people around them.

Some people feel that it is a socio cultural problem. The truth is that in some cases, ragging has occasionally ended in fighting, serious injuries, and even deaths, leading to the ruin of some brilliant carriers.

Senior students tease the new students about their looks and manners. The tall and the short, the fat and the lean, all become easy targets. Students wearing glasses, have their glasses snatched away and are made to read without them. A few of them are made to bow before the senior students and are forced to greet them with folded hands. Sometimes the eatables brought by the new students are eaten by the seniors in the formers presence. Ragging may be in the form of a mock interview of the new entrants. The senior students would take the position of interviews, while the new students become the interviewees. Sometimes they are asked indecent questions and are made to make obscene gestures.

A new student who resists becomes a target of harassment. He may be falsely accused of stealing a thing or things from a senior. He would be put on a mock trial. During the trial, he might be forced to admit his guilt. If he does not admit his guilt, he is pressurized by physical threats and humiliation.

In the beginning, ragging was an amusing practice. It has degenerated into an evil. It has become a synonym for torture’. The Supreme Court of written or by an act which adversely affects the physique or physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student is an act of ragging. But if through ragging the decency and morals are violated or one’s body gets injured or if any wrongful restraint or criminal intimidation is involved in it, then ragging becomes a legal offence. Ragging in India commonly involves serious abuses and clear violations of human rights. The Supreme Court has taken a strong stand tocurb ragging. Ragging has been declared as a criminal offence.

India’s first and only registered anti ragging NGO, Society against Violence in Education SAVE has claimed that ragging is widely and dangerously prevalent in engineering and other academic institutions, mainly in the hostels.

For such cases, there are certain punishments in UGC’s anti ragging guidelines which include a fine up to rupees twenty five thousand, cancellation of admission, withholding of scholarship debarring from appearing for examinations, suspension or explosion from hostel and rustication  from institution for period of one or four semesters. Even the institutions where raging is prevalent could be punished. By withdrawing of afflation or other privileges and daring any degree and withholding grants.

The real pictures was revealed by reporting, CURE [Coalition of uprooting ragging from education]. Between July 2003 and June 2008, there were cases of deaths, 10 attempted suicides and 14 left college’s only 54 percent cases sought police intervention. The most affected areas are west Bengal. Utter Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The Supreme Court accepted its report ad directed educational institutions at very minimum to expel the guilty. It also allowed institutions to resigester police cases against accused.

Most authorities have tackled the problem with iron hands. More effective steps need taken to deal with the evil. The institutes should arrange counseling session for fresher’s so that they can speak their mind. Anti ragging cells should also be established. A fresher party should be organized by the institute itself within two weeks of the start of the academic session so that the junior and senior students can easily interact with one another.

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commentscomments

Very very nice writing. Thanks

it’s really helpful to the students,who want to learn more……..

Very very nice 👌👌👌👌👌

I am Mrs. Priyadarshini Nayak

sir/madam, the article is very much impressive. But the awareness is poor. many schools and colleges need to give counselling sessions and have anti ragging cells. about which has been mentioned in the article. i am glad that the UGC has such anti raghing guidelines .

yes your comment is very correct.

It is full of information.

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Essay on “Ragging: A Menace” for Kids and Students, English Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 8, 9, 10, 12, College and Competitive Exams.

Ragging: A Menace

“The Supreme Court defined ragging in following words : “Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of disturbing, threatening or handling with rudeness any other student indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities which causes or likely bring about annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear of apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the student to do any act or perform something which such students will not do in the ordinary course and which has the impact of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.”

The apex court has taken into consideration, while defining ragging all sorts of acts faced by a fresher or a junior while subjecting to ragging by the seniors.

Ragging has been a menace, cause of fear and shock not only for a fresher but to his parents too who are sending the loved ones for pursuing higher education by investing a lot of hard earned money. Many intellectual youth have sacrificed their life because of ragging, some lost a nervous breakdown, some left the institutes after being suffered of ragging, some have committed suicide and some were killed by the seniors on the pretext of ragging.

The court, the authorities, the principal and every concern, have called the ragging a heinous practice, but a very paradoxical situation is, it still persists in spite of all the rules, regulations and directives of course and authorities. None could claim to have stopped it 100%.

The most gruesome incidence of ragging came into light in Nov. 1986, when Navarasu, a 17 years old first year medical student of Annamalai University, Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, was brutally, murdered by a senior named ‘David’ who was said to be a karate expert. He killed Navarasu because he denied to submit to his whims of ragging. In Aug 2003, an engineering student of Engineering college, Jalpaiguri in West Bengal was admitted to hospital after he was subjected to night long brutal ragging by his seniors. The victim was beaten up with iron rods and cycle chains for denying to strip before the seniors.

The government, central as well as states, have taken positive steps again to curb this practice. In 1997, the HRD Minister, Mr. S.R. Bommai, appraised the Rajya Sabha that steps were being taken to ensure that those found guilty of ragging can be treated as guilty of gross misconduct and subsequently, the penalty of rustication or removal from the rolls of the universities could be imposed on the offenders. He also informed in the house that instruction have been issued to the universities and institutions and the state governments to take stern action to stop this menace and to invoke the provisions of law if required.

A few years ago, the Governor of Kerala, promulgated the “Kerala prohibition of Ragging Ordinance” seeking to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in the state. The Supreme Court while dealing a public interest in 2001 said the failure to prevent ragging by the management would mean an act of negligence in maintaining discipline in the institution The principal and other authority will be liable to face action in case a student is subjected to ragging. The Supreme Court further directed that “If an institution fails to curb ragging the UGC/funding agency may consider stoppage of financial assistance to such an institution tills such time it implements the anti ragging norms”. Though the Surpeme Court has also issued very strict and stringent guidelines to stop the menace of ragging yet a-point to ponder is why the students resort to such heinous practice, after all these so called seniors are also from a decent home and belongs to the intellectual group of students of the nation.

Why do few resort to such socially unacceptable behaviour? Why the so called seniors do not look upon the problems of their own juniors and subjecting them to such intolerable inhumane acts?

A serious thought if given to the above questions, we find that our present education system is intended to create intelligentsia, but they are absolutely lacking the moral and ethical values. We do not teach our students, philanthropic and moral values.

There is no place for ethics in our education; we are just teaching them the materialistic value importance of money. Result has become’ meaningless. How alone the students are to blame, for such acts? Teachers and parents are also equally responsible for they are unable to cultivate in a good citizen. Academic qualification alone is of no value. If education does not teach students to share the problems of others to love all serve all, it would become meaningless.

It shall be fundamental to quote the following words of a great thinker that

If money is lost, nothing is lost If health is lost, something is lost If character is lost, everything is lost.

To prevent the menace of ragging it is but compulsory to inculcate among the students, importance of good character, importance of love and affection towards their juniors and fellow beings.

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Society Against Violence in Education

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What Is Ragging?

Ragging in simple terms.

In the name of introduction or initiation, millions of students are brutally abused in many educational institutions. Originated to probably to generate fellow-feelings and teamwork, it has metamorphosed to a blood sucking vampire! Teenagers entering those colleges (and now even in some schools) are physically, mentally and often sexually (heterosexually and homosexually) abused. They are often subjected to tortures comparable to the sufferings of the victims of Nazi Holocausts… except the gas chambers! Deaths, including suicides, are however not uncommon. Ragging is prevalent in India and in some other countries (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malyasia etc.). ‘Hazing’  in the US or  ‘bizutage’  in France are nearly similar forms. Unlike hazing, ragging usually doesn’t depend on membership of ‘fraternities’, rather it is forcefully applied on innocent teenagers enrolling for higher education. A very large number of educational institutions are affected thus. In fact, ragging has made its entry into junior schools.

Ragging has ruined countless of innocent lives, families, dreams and careers

Several Indian states have enacted legislations banning ragging. The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has issued landmark judgements in 2001 and in 2009. Consequent to the later judgement, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued elaborate guidelines in 2009, which was followed by other statutory bodies like the Medical Council of India (MCI), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Dental Council of India (DCI), the Nursing Council of India etc.

Definition of Ragging as per UGC Regulations, 2009

“Ragging constitutes one or more of any of the following acts:

a. Any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student;

b. Indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in any fresher or any other student;

c. Asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student;

d. Any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any other student or a fresher;

e. Exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students.

f. Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by students;

g. Any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;

h. Any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, post, public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to fresher or any other student ;

i. Any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a student over any fresher or any other student

Students are battling against one of the biggest humanitarian crises India has ever faced.

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Ragging as an expression of power in a deeply divided society; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan university

Ayanthi Wickramasinghe

International Maternal and Child health unit, Department of Women and Children’s health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Birgitta Essén

Jill trenholm, associated data.

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.

Initiation rituals such as hazing, bullying, and ragging, as it is referred to in Sri Lanka, is a global phenomenon and has become a serious public health problem. Students are bullied and harassed by senior students causing them to suffer severe adverse consequences including depression, increased university dropouts and suicide. Although this has led to a significant burden on the country, research on ragging is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of students concerning the phenomenon of ragging and to understand how ragging affects student life and culture at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. This paper is based on 17 focus group discussions with male and female students of Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim ethnicity. Thematic analysis was employed to navigate through the theoretical lenses of structural violence, intersectionality, and social dominance. The findings revealed how students perceived ragging differently; as an expression of power to initiate order and as a way to express dissatisfaction towards social inequalities occurring within the larger society or to facilitate bonds between university students. Students trivialized violence related to ragging and accepted it as a part of the university subculture despite being aware of the dire consequences. There was a described cyclical nature to ragging whereby victims become perpetrators. The student’s perspective appeared to be a missed opportunity in finding feasible solutions to a societal problem that must take all parties involved, into consideration.

Introduction

Many university students look forward to gaining entry to a university, and celebrating this milestone in their transition to adulthood. However, this elation and excitement is often replaced by fear and anxiety when students have to undergo harmful initiation practices and rituals. Although the terminology differs from country to country; “hazing” or “bullying” in USA, “bizutage” in France, “praxe” in Portugal and “Mopokaste” in Finland, there are commonalities to these practices found in higher education institutes and universities around the world [ 1 ]. In Sri Lanka and most South Asian countries, this so-called initiation ritual is known as “ragging”. It is carried out by senior students and was originally created to forge comradery and bonds of friendship. However, ragging has evolved in South Asian countries to have little remnants of its original form [ 2 – 4 ]. In Sri Lanka, ragging is defined as “any deliberate act by an individual student or group of students, which causes physical or psychological stress or trauma and results in humiliating, harassing and intimidating the other person” [ 5 ]. It has been expressed as an intentional and systematic violation of human rights and freedom of thought and movement of the junior students [ 6 ].

Depending on the country and cultural contexts, initiation rites differ as does the goal of the practice. In the western world, hazing practices, especially within fraternities and sororities, mostly consist of sexual abuse, drinking games including forced binge drinking in order to form social bonds [ 7 – 9 ], whereas ragging practices in Sri Lanka are built upon breaking cultural taboos often seen as an opportunity to equalize students from different societal backgrounds [ 10 , 11 ]. These practices, seen differently in different countries can be viewed as highly contextual, often mirroring the society at large and exhibiting different power dynamics related to race, gender, socioeconomic status and other facets of student’s identity [ 12 ]. Ragging in Sri Lanka has been considered to be distinct as it has been shown to be driven by an outcry of discontent towards authoritative figures and societal hierarchies [ 13 , 14 ].

To put Sri Lanka in context, it is a multicultural, multilingual country consisting of an ethno-religious blend of Sinhalese (75%), Sri Lankan Tamils (11%), Moors (Muslims) (9%), and other groups (5%) [ 15 ]. The Northern and Eastern Provinces are predominated by Tamil Hindus, and the rest of the country is predominated by Sinhalese Buddhists. The official languages are Sinhala, Tamil, and English, a remnant of colonialism. This post-war nation is still struggling from its history of colonialism [ 16 ] and the 27-year long civil war which ended in 2009. Sri Lanka is a country rich in traditions, still believed to uphold patriarchal values and a hierarchical social structure [ 17 ].

Following the colonial rule, the Sri Lankan educational system changed from an elitist model, where only the wealthy partook, to a mass model where all citizens were welcomed in higher education. Along with this, the change in the medium of instruction from English to Sinhalese and Tamil, led to changes in the composition of the student population [ 14 ]. The most prominent feature of mass university education was the change in socioeconomic structure of the student population due to the district quotas enabling a higher intake of rural students who are often from poorer backgrounds [ 18 ]. The previous majority of English-speaking urban upper and middle class was replaced by Sinhalese and Tamil speaking lower classes from lesser privileged backgrounds [ 18 ].

The lack of adequate English skills in this new cohort, has hindered these students from eventually securing so-called desirable jobs and entering the global job market. The resultant high unemployment rate has led Sri Lankan youth to feel frustrated and perceive the country to be unjust, unequal and marginalizing [ 19 ]. Therefore, these culturally embedded underlying inequalities have become a breeding ground for dissatisfaction and have contributed to the changing practice of ragging. Ragging practices are carried out by the “seniors”, who are students from the second year and above, forcing the new entrants to university to conform to their rules. Ragging often entails the newcomers being subjected to psychological, verbal and physical abuse such as beating, hitting with objects, performing dangerous tasks, and sexual abuse such as stripping, performing sex acts and rape [ 1 , 10 ]. This has led to a range of health consequences like anxiety, depression, insomnia, injuries, and even death and suicide [ 20 ]. Ragging has become a significant public health problem which not only has led to ill health, but has resulted in a loss of students from universities, with a subsequent loss of human resources and economic prosperity in the country [ 13 ].

Ragging has been a criminal offense in Sri Lanka since 1998 and carries a severe punishment [ 21 ], yet this has not deterred students from carrying out this ritual covertly. This practice is embedded as part of the university ‘subculture’[ 17 ]. A recent report conducted among students in eight Sri Lankan state Universities found the prevalence of verbal ragging to be over 51%, psychological ragging 34%, physical ragging 24% and sexual ragging 17% [ 22 ]. Initiatives made by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the administrative body of universities, by issuing guidelines [ 5 ] and creating several methods to lodge complaints against ragging but these initiatives have not been successful in curbing this practice [ 10 ].

There is a scarcity of research on ragging in Sri Lanka, particularly around student’s perceptions. According to reports by the Ministry of Education, approximately 2000 students dropout annually, and several students have committed suicide as a result of ragging [ 23 ]. Similarly, a study conducted in Bangladesh demonstrated, traumatic incidents such as ragging increased suicidal ideation among university students [ 24 ].

Educating youth in a safe space is essential, particularly for its subsequent contributions towards the country’s future. It is increasingly imperative to address this serious public health problem that profoundly affects all students, not only victims but also perpetrators and by-standers. Ragging has a potential deleterious impact upon society’s younger generations and their university years intended for building intellectual capacity. The aim of this study was to explore students’ perceptions concerning the phenomenon of ragging, and to understand how ragging affects student life and culture at the University of Jaffna.

Integrated theoretical lenses

Universities are microcosms of the larger society [ 14 ]. Contexts matter and ragging communicates within this complexity, deeply affecting students’ lives and behaviour. The following integrated theories, explained below, helped sensitize us during the data analysis.

Galtung’s theory [ 25 ] of structural violence was the theoretical departure point at the macro level. This theory holds that direct violence, like ragging, is the visible manifestation of underlying invisible violence that goes unquestioned in everyday praxis. According to Galtung, structural/instutionalized violence reveals how societies naturally purvey their cultural beliefs veiling the reality of destruction by making violence seem acceptable.

The essence of intersectionality [ 26 , 27 ] is inextricably linked to structural violence. By examining the diversity of the students who make up this microcosmic society of the university, one notes how personal identities and their many other diverse attributes influence beliefs, actions, and experiences. How these cultural features/attributes intersect, renders the individual more than a sum of their parts. Intersectionality reveals the individual’s many unique intersecting factors, such as student’s age, gender, ethnicity, social class, caste, language, cultural history, and geographical origins, giving a more nuanced view of their marginalized states.

These individual factors, not only build upon their identity, but also allocates them into various social groups that mirror the hierarchies of the larger society. This leads to group formations that attempt to wield power/status, enabling them to control other groups. This group dynamic is in alignment with Social Dominance theory, which states that dominant individuals have a tendency to organize themselves into ingroups and outgroups to form social hierarchies, with the ingroup dictating or controlling the outgroup [ 28 ].

Structural violence, Intersectionality and Social Dominance theories are integrated, and serve to reflect the macro, meso and micro levels of society. Employing this matrix of theories, the complexity and subtleties of ragging are further illuminated ( Fig 1 ).

Materials and methods

Study design.

A qualitative phenomenological design was used for this exploratory study. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were chosen as it is the method of choice when exploring societal/group norms, revealing their lived experiences and how attitudes and behaviors are formed within groups [ 29 ].

Study setting

The University of Jaffna, is situated in the Northern province of Sri Lanka. Jaffna was a major war zone during the ethnic conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that ended in 2009. A majority of the population of the Northern province are Tamils [ 15 ]. Since 2012, similar numbers of students of all ethnicities began their studies at the University of Jaffna. Most other universities across Sri Lanka have a Sinhalese majority. The university of Jaffna was chosen for this study as the student composition was more diverse.

Study participants

The principal investigator (PI)/first author, approached heads of departments from Medicine, Arts, Management, Science, and Technology faculties, and asked them to inform students enrolled in these faculties about the study and how to contact her if they were interested in participating in the FGDs. From the students who responded, a convenient sample of 50 male, and 58 female students, from the 2 nd and 3 rd year, between 21 to 25 years were selected. The chosen participants could include victims, perpetrators and by-standers. First year students were excluded as they could suffer re-traumatization as they could have most likely experienced ragging recently. The participants were informed about the study by the PI and explained that it was a part of a larger doctoral project involving ragging.

The PI is a Sri Lankan born medical doctor currently undergoing her doctoral studies. She has grown up in the context yet received her own education overseas. Having not attended Sri Lankan university yet being part of the culture, she has a distinct insider/outsider vantage point. She spent over a month in Jaffna prior to data collection to get acquainted with the university setup and familiarize herself with the surroundings.

Data collection

A total of 17 FGDs were conducted with individual groups of Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim students, organized by ethnicity, language, and gender as it was deemed more appropriate and for ease of communication amongst like students. Similar numbers of FGDs were conducted with each ethnic group/gender. Discussions were carried out in three languages. The English FDGs were moderated by PA, a Swedish medical doctor with extensive experience in cross cultural collaborations and longstanding work history in Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese FDG’s were moderated by KW a Sri Lankan researcher with expertise in qualitative methods. Some of the English and Sinhalese FDG’s were moderated by the PI who is Sinhalese speaking. A Sri Lankan Tamil speaking research assistant moderated all the Tamil FDG’s. Notes were taken by two observers in the Tamil focus groups, and for the other groups, one observer was present. A thematic guide was used, with questions related to student’s perceptions of ragging, perpetrators, victims, campus environment and student recommendations. Observers notes enriched the data collection and were used in debriefings. Groups consisted of four to eight participants, with each discussion lasting 45–60 minutes. A quiet location that ensured privacy and located on the university premises was used. All FGDs were carried out in March 2019, except for the Faculty of Technology, which was conducted in November 2019 due to the closure of the faculty concerning a severe ragging incident [ 30 ].

Data analysis

The participating researchers discussed the FDG’s immediately after they were conducted, prior to conducting subsequent FGDs in order to refine probing questions and to incorporate emerging information. FGDs were transcribed and translated/back-translated into English by the PI and a Tamil speaking research assistant. This process contributed to enhancing familiarity with the data as transcripts were read repeatedly during the transcription and translation processes. Transcripts were analyzed by the PI and two other researchers with both insider and outsider positions, using thematic analysis [ 31 ]. The research team initially coded the themes independently and then met and spent several days coming to a consensus, mapping, defining, and redefining the themes. Notes concerning background information, comments, and innuendos were used to better understand and substantiate the material. Through the chosen integrated theoretical lenses; Structural violence [ 25 ], Intersectionality [ 27 ] and Social Dominance [ 28 ]. The transcripts were iteratively read and inductively coded. Subsequently, similar emergent codes were grouped together in a mapping exercise. Quotes were used to enhance credibility. Themes and sub themes were developed from the multiple data interpretation discussions. During this process, one overall theme and four main subthemes were chosen by consensus of the research team.

Ethical considerations

Ethical approval was granted by the ethical review committee of the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka (J/ERC/18/96/NDR/0200). The PI provided information about the aim and procedures of the study to the participants and obtained a written informed consent before starting the interviews. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured by assigning each participant a code according to ethnicity and gender, Sinhalese (S), Tamil (T), Muslim (M) and male (M), and female (F), which was used to identify the transcripts.

Ragging as an expression of power was established as the overall theme ( Fig 2 ).

There were five subthemes as follows; veil of secrecy and silence, ragging lies on a spectrum, cycle of ragging establishes a hierarchy, a society with deep divisions and student recommendations; an unexplored potential resource. Four of the subthemes focused on inter-student relationships and their dynamics, while the other, portrayed the complex interaction with teachers, university administration and society.

Subtheme 1: Veil of secrecy and silence

The existence of ragging within the university was expressed as a well-kept secret among the students. “No, it never happened to us”, was how most FGD’s began with students claiming that ragging did not occur in the University of Jaffna and that they had never heard, or experienced it. They ultimately contradicted themselves when they then went on to explain how it was.

Students claimed that the seniors gave the newcomers humiliating names which dehumanized them, and the seniors themselves were identified by pseudonyms that demonstrated power, keeping them “nameless”, further maintaining the secrecy of this ritual.

“They (seniors) will put names. The names will have very bad meanings. For the next four years they will only use that name.” (T, F)

Ruled by fear

It was evident that generating fear and intimidating newcomers was the way the seniors maintained secrecy. One student put it this way:

“First years are afraid. They won’t talk about ragging to anyone. Even if we (batch mates) ask who carried out the ragging, they won’t tell.” (T, M)

Other students thought the raggers threats took away the juniors’ independent decision-making capacity, suppressing their ability to differentiate right from wrong expressed here;

“Introducing them (juniors) to a new place and showing them how to behave by reducing their capacity of self-thinking and decision making from their own experience, creates a hive mentality within the students.” (T, M)

Subtheme 2: Ragging lies on a spectrum

For many students ragging was part of the university “subculture” which the newcomers faced in their first year, and sometimes longer. Ragging practices were seen as both positive and negative, which can be as mild as singing or a dress code to extortion and violence. The junior women had to wear dresses made from a certain fabric generally worn only at home, referred to as “Cheeta dresses” in Sri Lanka and braid their hair in two braids, seen as juvenile for their age group. The men had to shave their heads, wear white long-sleeved shirts, no belts, and no underwear. Both men and women had to wear a certain type of bathroom slippers and were not allowed to wear shoes. This was meant to humiliate and infantilize them. This student expressed the stigma related to being dressed in bathroom slippers;

“They (seniors) treat them (newcomers) like small children…when they go in the bus people will laugh at them …are you working in the bathroom, like bathroom cleaners?” (M, F)

The victims of ragging were said to be the junior students, and the ones that were picked on the most, were men that were “handsome”, came from so-called “good schools” and did not “respect the seniors”. The seniors who engaged in or instigated ragging, were in most cases students who had undergone ragging as juniors, had “under par academic performance”, “violent tendencies” and/or “inferiority complexes”. In their words, a ragger was;

“A person who came from a low-level society, studied in a low-level school, and had nothing special in his life and wanted to enjoy everything here.” (M, M)

The students spoke about both the negative and positive consequences of ragging; “not all ragging becomes violent”. While other students said that “Ragging and interaction are being used as synonyms” by the seniors to justify ragging. This demonstrates how ragging was carried out using greater and lesser degrees of violence/coercion, from things such as asking the newcomers to sing a song to assaulting the newcomers.

The persistent harassment of new students was a recurrent topic in the FDGs as is described here;

“Before and after every lecture the seniors will come to the lecture hall and rag us. Every hour at least 10 minutes they will rag us.” (T, F)

Even though ragging took a predominantly psychological or physical form, there were instances students were subjected to sexual forms. Students were reluctant to expose the occurrence of sexual harassment but the following was revealed;

“Some kind of touching (sexual) also goes on… Sinhalese girls are sexually harassed.” (M, M)

Another student said;

“They (newcomers) have to imitate dogs having sex. Girls are asked to draw boy’s body parts, and the boys to draw girl’s body parts.” (M, F)

Several students said ragging was necessary. They believed it was a positive way to develop bonds and increase comradery between the seniors and juniors.

“When we come to this campus, those are the friendships that remain with us. To have a friendship we need to form a connection, because of ragging a connection was formed.” (T, M)

Some students believed that ragging should continue in a non-violent manner because it helped develop and nurture new skills such as communication;

“…with a thing like this (ragging), their (newcomers) personality improves, this is my experience, before I wasn’t a person who would speak out like this but little by little it improved” (S, M)

Another argument made by the students concerning positive ragging, was that seniors perceived they helped newcomers by guiding them towards the “correct path” using fear, demonstrated in the following quote:

“If we tell them (junior females), maybe in fear they will wear (culturally) appropriate clothes from the first year. If not they will face problems when they go out (society). So, we can’t completely stop ragging.” (T, F)

The participants mentioned that seniors often kept juniors awake throughout the night and woke them up early in morning to rag them, thus causing sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Therefore, newcomers lacked time for their studies and were frequently drowsy during lectures.

“We (newcomers) are told to come at 9.00 pm and they (seniors) let us go around 12 midnight. Even if we say that we are feeling very sleepy, they don’t listen. If you’re sleepy you have to sleep on the floor, we have to wait till they (seniors) let us go.” (M, F)

Subtheme 3: Cycle of ragging establishes a hierarchy

This sub-theme revealed that ragging was a cyclical system organized to create a hierarchy within the university student body by the demonstration of ‘power over’.

Rite of passage

The FGD participants saw ragging as a rite of passage that all students entering university must undergo to be accepted by their seniors and belong to their peer group. The “ragging period” ends, with the so-called “ponding ceremony” where newcomers are thrown dirty stagnant water on. Following this, the seniors give the juniors a “welcome party” where the seniors and juniors unite as “Batch fit” (an expression that indicates belonging to the group).

“Ragging is like an acceptance to campus. When we give the first-year students the welcome party then there is some unity.” (S, M)

Students stated that it was a ritual with a few unwritten rules such as, ragging occurs only among your own faculty and only seniors can rag. Men were said to be ragged by men, and women ragged by women, and most importantly, ragging occurred strictly within ethnicities.

“Other faculty seniors should not hit our juniors. Only we will hit our juniors.” (T, M)

The powerful perpetrator

Several students referred to ragging as a way for seniors to demonstrate power and seniority, exhibiting their power over the juniors in the following manner:

“You are a newcomer, I am going to show you my superiority by ragging, physically, mentally and psychologically.” (T, M)

Another student spoke of how ragging was believed to prepare them for the greater world:

“He (senior student) said ragging is to improve leadership qualities. If you don’t obey your senior, how will you obey your boss in future?” (M, M)

Students who were disrespectful towards the seniors, got ragged more. Newcomers who made complaints, were often isolated from their batch, branded as “anti-raggers” and stigmatized. They were said to be excluded from university functions, parties organized by the students, not given leadership roles, and frozen out by the rest of their peers.

“If someone won’t obey them (seniors), they will separate that person from the batch and won’t involve that person in common events.” (M, F)

Students spoke about the financial burden caused by ragging. The seniors were said to extort money from newcomers, asking them to buy food for them in the cafeteria or to top up their mobile phone accounts. Some students, gave up their food for the day to fulfill the demand of feeding the seniors as indicated here;

“Every student comes from a different economic status. I have seen some students (juniors) buy them (seniors) food and then they don’t eat for the whole day or they will eat only one time per day.” (T, F)

Juniors dependent on the seniors

Juniors were said to be forced to depend upon seniors for academic support, as the lectures were at times inadequate or the students did not understand the lecture material due to language problems.

“They (seniors) do it (extra classes) willingly, as a help to the junior students.” (S, F)

Victims become perpetrators

Participants claimed that new students got revenge by ragging newcomers the following year. Students expressed that they did not see the harm in ragging their juniors as they themselves underwent it.

“If a boy got ragged, in future he will think about how he could develop that ragging and give it back. They (the boys) will talk in which way they could make it worse.” (T, F)

Subtheme 4: A society with deep divisions

Students spoke about how rigid norms and hierarchies in Sri Lankan society influenced ragging. Participants spoke about their tenuous relationships with authority figures which seemed to be imbued with fear. There was talk of distrust on both sides, authority figures and students. Ragging rules exist but action was expressed as rarely taken.

Ragging challenging rigid norms

Participants alluded to Sri Lankan society’s deep divisions in age hierarchies, gender, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic class, and caste which had an impact on ragging.

It was evident that the students’ behavior was guided by traditional gender norms, displayed by the soft-spoken demure manner in which women spoke as opposed to the more loud, aggressive manner the males expressed their opinions. During the FGD’s, the women often giggled and whispered when certain topics were discussed, whereas the men got agitated and angry when the female moderators probed their views.

They expressed how ragging occurred as per these gender norms. Men used more physical ragging to show off power to impress women as they did not often get opportunities to interact freely.

“Boys will hit handsome (male) students. Because he (ragger) can impress juniors (females).” (T, F)

According to the students, ragging practices were gendered, in that men underwent more physical ragging than women;

“They (seniors) will make us (females) sing and they will beat the male students.” (T, F)

Senior women considered it their responsibility to guide and make sure the junior women upheld their respectability. Controlling the newcomer’s behavior was a way to safeguard their decorum. A female student commented:

“I saw a girl sitting on a final year student’s bench after 6pm and laughing with senior boys. The boys will be drunk. The girls don’t know what will happen to them. When we saw that we got angry. They should think about their protection. They should think, how will I go back home safely.” (T, F)

It was expressed how male students were often drunk in the evenings. Newcomers were said to be forced to consume alcohol, as it was seen as being unmanly if they did not. The cultural norm states that women are not supposed to drink alcohol, whereas men were defined by drinking. This was elaborated by the following;

“They will force the male newcomers to drink if they don’t, they will scold them… you are not a boy, you are a girl.” (M, F)

The students saw ragging as a way to equalize divisions such as socioeconomic status and caste, while increasing divisions in other cases.

“…they (juniors) are brought together. Ragging reduces the disparity in the different levels of society and brings everyone to the same level…We bring them all down to the same level.” (S, M)

The senior students felt it as a part of their duty to equalize everyone and “fix” the so-called mentality of the more privileged to become more equal with the more marginalized groups.

“We call them privileged…We take them and bring them all to the same level, and we fix their mentality.” (S, M)

The participants felt very strongly about it being unfair that certain students who came from a stronger financial background could afford better things than others. These discussions became quite heated;

“…If I go to the canteen with 60 rupees and he has 100 rupees…I can eat a vegetable rice, he can have a fried rice and drink a coke cola. We are in the same batch, we sit for the same exam, we study in the same campus and we study together, then why is there a difference?” (S, M)

The lack of knowledge of the English language led to a lot of difficulties among the students in communicating with students and lecturers of other ethnicities, understanding lectures and basic interaction with people living in the area. Students expressed that the English language was seen as a class marker, creating a social divide, as evidenced by;

“…Some students try to show a fake poshness (by speaking English) …” (S, F)

Not allowing juniors to speak English during the ragging period was another method of suppressing students;

“In the first semester we have to talk using only Sinhalese words, we are not allowed to speak a single word in English.” (S, M)

Trivializing violence

Many students believed that ragging be a part of university life/culture and they did not see the harm. They convinced themselves that it was harmless despite contrary information. This notion is reflected by this statement:

“…but unlike other campuses there isn’t ragging here. But by ragging no one is mentally or physically hurt here. If it’s done there is no harm caused to anyone…” (S, F)

Some students felt that violence was a part of the Sri Lankan society and that people had to be obedient to the hierarchical systems, therefore they did not see ragging as something to be concerned about.

“In every situation people should have obedience. We should obey someone, maybe in an office. You should obey your boss. When a person can’t obey, he is subjected to violence.” (T, M)

Students feel demonized

Due to controversial ragging incidents, students lamented that all students were seen as perpetrators and portrayed in a negative light by the media, and therefore mistreated by the university authorities by false accusations.

“The ones who were not involved got an inquiry … they (university administration) wanted to put a noose around their neck… that person was not even involved in anything (ragging)…” (S, F)

Another student expressed how complaints of ragging were demoralizing;

“When you’re trying to educate us, why are the people above us trying to put us down by talking about ragging, ragging, ragging?” (S, M)

Some participants claimed that they were worried about being a part of the FGDs because they thought it was an inquiry where they would be falsely penalized for ragging;

“To be honest, none of us wanted to come here (for the FGD) today. We thought it’s like an inquiry but when the science lecturer explained… we thought, let’s go and tell our problems, we can’t suffer like this every day.” (S, F)

Submitting to authorities that don’t take responsibility

Although there were several ways to make complaints, students conveyed their frustration, that authorities often did not take any action. The students expressed disappointment that lecturers, counselors, and others responsible, did not want to intervene or get involved with ragging leaving a vacuum, where raggers rule.

“The lecturers stay aside and let ragging occur. The lecturers won’t get involved, then the seniors behave the way they want and rag the juniors.” (S, F)

Subtheme 5: Students’ recommendations; an unexplored potential resource

The students had several recommendations on how to end ragging. Some students believed that ragging was unnecessary but organized interactions between senior and junior students were needed. They believed that the use of these terms interchangeably was the main problem and evident in the statement below;

“Ragging and interactions are being used as synonyms. Those are two different words. Ragging is hurting someone for ones’ entertainment. Interaction is creating a place to get connected with students from different areas and societies. It becomes a problem when these terms are used interchangeably. Students get confused with these two words but they are two distinct things. Interaction is needed but not ragging.” (T,M)

Participants had ideas on how to help students respect one another through mentorship and how to make ragging a more harmless way to interact with each other. One of the recommendations was;

“Until we eradicate the mentality of the seniors to suppress their juniors, we can’t eradicate ragging. To do that mentorship is important. Mentorship by lecturers, to tell me what university is all about, what are my rights, how can I reach help and security. This message should reach the new students before the seniors capture them…” (T, M)

It was expressed that during, wartime, the students were a more intricate part of the greater society and thus were more community oriented, versus the current more individualistic society;

“…students (before entering university) were living inside a bubble created within school, home, and tuition classes. I think they need to think about society, they should make efforts to get connected with society.” (M, M)

Anti-raggers were cited as a potential counter force, provided they got more support from students and the administration;

“There are anti-raggers in every batch. We can form a group through the university administration with the anti-raggers to identify raggers and to give them a punishment or suspension.” (T, M)

This study expands the knowledge on students’ perceptions of ragging and how ragging affects student life and culture in Sri Lanka. It was striking that the students themselves were ambivalent in their views of ragging. However, ragging used as an expression of power permeated the findings as an overall theme. This overall theme consists of five subthemes as follows; veil of secrecy and silence, ragging lies on a spectrum, cycle of ragging establishes a hierarchy, a society with deep divisions and student recommendations; an unexplored potential resource. These finding can contribute to a deeper understanding on how this negative ragging practice can be curbed and/or promote change in preserving the more positive experiences of bonding.

The wider context of ragging: Sri Lanka and it’s university culture

This study underscores Sri Lanka’s historically embedded rigid social norms and hierarchical systems lending itself to youth’s discontent which manifests in ragging as direct violence [ 25 ]. Beneath the facade of this purported equitable society, students revealed hierarchies of socioeconomic classes, caste, ethnicity and gender which has led to a clash of attitudes, differences in privileges, and perceived unjust divisions of power [ 32 ]. The diverse mix of students at Jaffna University seem to experience being re-grouped according to a hierarchical system whereby the seniors’ ruled over the newcomers. This aligns with social dominance theory [ 28 ] and the stated administrative apathy creates a vacuum which contributes to the institutionalizing of structural violence. Samaranayake et al. [ 18 ] showed how students who feel alienated, ignored and unheard, by adult power structures both in the university and in society often turn towards violence; ragging can be seen as an expression of this violence. The students in this study shared the sentiments that they had to comply with the hierarchical restructuring and felt more let down than supported by the administration.

The English-speaking urban middle class continues to rise to the top in the national and private sector while sidelining the rural, monolingual, lower classes that are dependent on very limited government and public sector jobs. [ 11 , 19 ]. Despite common dissatisfaction, disgruntled youth of different ethnicities remain isolated from each other due to segregation by language divisions and regional barriers [ 16 ]. Gamage et al. [ 16 ] remarks that ragging has served as a method of ensuring those from privileged backgrounds are made aware that they are not superior to those from less privileged settings, thereby disrupting the existent societal norm. Similarly, this study’s findings demonstrate how ragging is a tool to equalize societal hierarchies and associated disadvantages giving voice to the marginalized, by leveling the playing field. This was evident in how the participants spoke about “equalizing” students. The social injustices faced by the youth can be considered as invisible structural violence as per Galtung [ 25 ]. It has been shown that students’ involvement in confrontational politics, could be an attempt to empower themselves, while the Marxist and leftist political parties are said to be the driving force behind student unions eager to recruit dissatisfied youth [ 18 ].

Intersectionality reveals the gendered dimension found in our study. Differences in the methods of ragging between men and women were further strengthened through patriarchal-driven norms repeatedly endorsed by society. It was evident that university students still upheld the traditional notion of ‘ Læjja-baya’ (Shame-fear), expected of women. Every child in Sri Lanka has been taught to conform to the concept of ‘ Læjja-baya’ or in other words, ‘shame and fear of ridicule’ which is exploited in ragging [ 17 ]. Young women are expected to behave with sexual modesty and be chaste, otherwise they will be exposed to ridicule and shame [ 17 ]. Similarly, gender norms dictate that women should be submissive. The rising number of female students in universities has not kept pace with the entrenched gender expectations [ 10 , 17 ]. Women are still unable to reach higher positions as some men still think that women should remain at home and take care of their families [ 17 , 33 ].

In Sri Lankan society where patriarchal practices dominate, ‘power over’ is the currency used to gain social dominance and respect. Study participants felt that ragging was an opportunity for seniors to form hierarchies and therefore hold power over the newcomers. Participants reported it was mandatory for the juniors to obey the seniors. Furthermore, the former newcomers looked forward to their turn as seniors, gaining control over the next new batch, maintaining the cycle of ragging [ 17 ]. The requisite for deference towards parents, authoritative figures and one’s seniors is the cultural norm [ 34 ]. Senior students by default acquire this position of power, and thereby pacifying their frustrations over social inequalities, personal jealousies and inferiority complexes [ 10 , 11 , 14 ]. Worldwide studies show that coercion, domination and abuse of power are the pillars that these initiation rites are built upon [ 7 , 8 , 35 ].

Ragging also invokes Sri Lankan society’s acceptable masculinity role. This study supports the notion that ragging among men often takes a more aggressive and physical form as compared to the more psychological form women endure. Correspondingly, several studies found these practices to be gendered [ 12 , 36 ]. Véliz-Calderón et al. [ 36 ] and Tong et al. [ 37 ] describe hazing experiences among female students to be psychological, including eating disgusting food and sleep deprivation, whereas male students had to undergo activities displaying physical strength, supporting the socio-cultural construct of American masculinity/femininity.

Evidence of gendered male dominance and female submission was also present in our study. These gendered expectations are damaging to both men and women. Attracting a partner is one such example [ 10 , 17 ]. Senior male students were expected to demonstrate power over the newcomers which enabled them to impress a suitable partner from the opposite sex to fulfill their romantic and sexual needs [ 11 , 17 ]. Due to the notion of ‘ Læjja-baya’ expressed earlier, male interaction with females is limited and ragging provides a platform for connecting.

With social dominance and the quest for power at stake, it is therefore not surprising that ragging is maintained in secrecy. This has a historical implication where ragging has only recently been discussed. Despite numerous efforts by the UGC and the Sri Lankan government, ragging continues to be widespread. Like ragging, hazing and other initiation practices are often secretly conducted according to Campo et al. [ 38 ]. This secrecy is in part owed to the unwillingness of students to make complaints due to the fear of being ostracized and of the wrath of powerful seniors [ 13 ]. This study’s participants expressed similar fears that were outweighed by the authorities’ apathy they have experienced upon reporting. Gunatilaka et al. [ 10 ] reported ragging was seen by students, as a small price to pay to receive a university education and all that entails, also seen in this study. Participants claimed refusal to participate in ragging resulted in a loss of inclusion. The practice of excluding or “othering” is an instinctive reaction to protect oneself and one’s group particularly when there is a perception of scarce resources [ 39 ]. This holds true when many students are fighting for limited university seats and employment opportunities.

Students in this study often normalized or trivialized violence. The dismissive manner in which violence is seen by society can play a role in the acceptability of ragging. Sri Lanka has had a violent past with several bloody insurgencies and a protracted ethnic uprising [ 18 ].These study participants were born during Sri Lanka’s days of civil war. This perceived invisibility/normalization of violence has also permeated the culture in the ways children are raised. This could have influenced the tolerance of violent and aggressive behavior [ 10 ]. Although corporal punishment in schools is officially banned, it continues to occur at home [ 40 ]. Child maltreatment contributes to a child’s normalization of violence according to studies conducted globally [ 41 , 42 ]. Several other studies on intimate partner violence in Sri Lanka have shown violence rates to be between 17–72% [ 43 , 44 ], these permissive attitudes towards violence against women also demonstrate societal perceptions of violence [ 10 ]. Normalization of violence distorts ragging as harmless. This has been described in other studies where students don’t acknowledge these practices as harmful or deny having experienced what they consider to be ‘violence’ [ 7 , 38 ].

Another aspect contributing to student ragging is the rapid expansion of government funded universities and the influx of diverse student populations that came along with this. It did not go hand in hand with sufficient infrastructure, accommodation, leisure activities and sports for students [ 18 ]. This could be attributed to slow growth of the economy and the lack of public funds to finance educational institutes [ 14 ]. The scarcity of funding has also resulted in shortcomings such as a lack of lecturers, decreased quality of teaching and poor security within the university and surroundings [ 13 ]. The participants indicated that these unsatisfactory conditions and inadequacies at the system level contribute to student rebellion, which is in line with Galtung’s structural violence [ 25 ]. Societal structures that honor certain groups and not others, contribute to the invisible violence level, in this case, manifested as ragging.

The spectrum of ragging

The students’ ambivalence revealed that ragging is seen on a spectrum with both positive and negative attributes. Students who saw ragging as more of a bonding experience, were proponents for ragging; they experienced it as a part of university life and a rite of passage all new entrants must undergo in order to belong [ 17 ]. Ragging can range from performing trivial tasks such as singing songs to extreme physical and sexual harassment [ 10 ]. Other studies also showed that these practices increase group cohesiveness [ 45 , 46 ]. Participants claimed that certain ragging practices were constructive and helpful, especially milder forms have been shown to have positive effects on students similar to other studies [ 10 ]. Students entering university from rural areas or disadvantaged backgrounds could be timid, making it difficult for them to engage and communicate with other students and lecturers. By performing simple ragging tasks helping them overcome shyness and experience a sense of belonging [ 17 ]. Due to the cited shortcomings or absence of university administration support, newcomers felt more reliant upon senior students for support/guidance.

The participants of our study mentioned several negative effects of ragging, which were similar to findings in other studies that show severe forms of ragging result in adverse consequences for their victims, such as physical and emotional problems [ 20 , 47 ]. Ragging disrupts the education of the 1 st year students since it mostly occurs during this period. Similarly, students have recounted in an UGC report, to be unable to concentrate due to stress and sleep deprivation [ 48 ] leading to poor exam performance, delays in graduating and entering the job market [ 13 ]. The negative impression generated by ragging in state-funded universities, has been shown to impede the chances of graduates gaining employment in the private sector [ 32 ].

Strengths and limitations

There were several limitations to our study. Ragging victimization mostly occurs in the 1 st year and since the participants were 2 nd and 3 rd years students there may have been a recall bias as they could have been victims, perpetrators or by-standers as well as affected by the cultural tendency to trivialize/normalize ragging. As this is a sensitive topic and victims can become future perpetrators, they may have refrained from revealing information.

The FGDs were conducted after a severe ragging incident in the Technology faculty which led to the closure of this faculty for several weeks which could have made the students more reluctant to discuss ragging. There is the possibility that students provided what they assumed to be desirable answers, though our experience was that they were eventually quite forthright about positive and negative issues.

The research team did have only female members; this could have affected the information divulged by male students. It would be difficult to say if males would have been more or less comfortable sharing females considering the gendered expectations upheld in society.

The main strength of our study was that our findings focused upon students’ perspectives. Assisted through the chosen theoretical lenses, a more nuanced view of students’ behaviour was illuminated. Most existing information on ragging in Sri Lanka is derived from reports and studies that lack a rigorous research methodology. This study is at the forefront of including students in the analysis of this very sensitive and multi-layered social problem.

Further research is needed to better understand the practice of ragging. Replicating this methodology focusing on student voices is essential, as there is a dearth of research concerning students’ perspective. As in most qualitative studies, transferability to other settings is possible but must be done with caution as context plays such an important role. Participatory action research could be useful in providing agency to those implicated on the front lines of ragging. The perceptions of lecturers and key persons in positions of authority in the university as well as parents’ perceptions would also enhance a more comprehensive picture of ragging.

This study suggests students use ragging as an expression of power in a highly competitive societal context which includes the educational system. Some of the contributing factors towards this practice are normalization of violence, the acceptance of ragging as part of the university subculture, gender norms and socioeconomic class disparities. These factors, when combined, provides a breeding ground for student unrest, violence and insubordination, manifesting as ragging. This study has illuminated a wider picture by providing students’ insights, which are a fundamental part of a multisectoral approach towards solutions; one that involves university administration, the UGC, student unions and university students themselves. A proactive approach is needed; one that creates awareness about ragging’s harmful effects, while promoting a more positive interaction between students and those in positions of authority. This long-standing problem has reached a critical juncture of doing more harm than good to young people while acquiring education and developing skills for life, so important to the future of their country. Therefore, all efforts must be used to eliminate ragging and its deleterious effects. There is a serious need for deep reforms within universities and a critical look at the role of structural violence, to successfully address ragging.

Supporting information

Acknowledgments.

Rajendra Surenthirukumaran, Kumudu Wijewardana, Shajeetha Thurauappah are thanked for their time and effort in making this study possible.

Funding Statement

This research was funded by the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University.The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Data Availability

• PLoS One. 2022; 17(7): e0271087.

Decision Letter 0

10 Aug 2021

PONE-D-21-15111

“We are considered to be dust”; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan university

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Reviewer #1: Dear Authors,

This manuscript explores students’ perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging in a university. Any type of bullying, without a doubt, constitutes a serious problem that must be studied in depth.

This is an interesting and important study due, despite this, before it can be published it would need some methodological clarifications and revisions:

- The manuscript does not meet with the sections of the journal.

- Introduction/background seem very long and confused. This journal only has an introductory section. This structure looks like for another journal. The claims are not properly placed in the context of the previous literature, since there are references that show contexts or social situations from more than 20 years ago.

Materials and methods section: “Qualitative research is an approach for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem” (Creswell, 2013b, p. 3). In this case, the theoretical approach has not been indicated, is it ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory? A correct qualitative study needs a strong theoretical foundation.

- Research design needs to be further explained, as well as other subsections of the methods. Following the journal recommendations, I kindly suggest reviewing the CASP and COREQ checklists to ensure the quality of the data reporting. For example, the researcher's relationship with the participants, What grade and semester were the students in?

- I suggest that only current references are used in the discussion, due to changes in this phenomenon in recent years (for example, the introduction of new technologies has changed the type of harassment in different contexts).

- You should mention limitations.

Thank you for the clarifications.

Reviewer #2: I want to thank you for the opportunity to review this manuscript. The time spent creating and shipping it is greatly appreciated. In my humble opinion, it offers interesting results that the scientific community, as well as professionals in this field, can benefit from. However, currently the manuscript presents some problems that must be taken into account and repaired. Here are my recommendations:

There is a total absence of contextualization of the study, the introduction does not justify or theoretically support the research, they should include the hypotheses of the work.

The method is not explicit enough. It does not give details of the data analysis and the software used for the analysis of the transcripts. Likewise, you should expand the information on the characteristics of the participants.

In the discussion section there is no comparison of its results with the initial contextualization. Personally, I am not in favor of using literature in the discussion that has not been previously mentioned in the introduction, since it transmits an incomplete review of the state of the topic investigated, there are several of the citations included in this section that have not been previously cited in the introduction .

It should include the limitations and future lines of research before the conclusions.

The conclusions can be expanded to include and / or give examples of how this information can be useful to the population and the field of education. Authors must make explicit reference to the practical application of the results obtained (this is one of the strengths of the manuscript), paying special attention to the possibilities offered by the data for the design of interventions.

These limitations should be addressed with a view to the possible publication of the manuscript.

Thank you for your work.

Reviewer #3: This is an intriguing report of the findings emerging from focus groups at a university.

Introduction/Background/Theoretical Lenses:

- This section needs more of the explanatory material provided in the Discussion. Please use the introduction to expand more on issues of how ragging is perhaps culturally specific, even though it does have analogues in other cultures. Indeed, please move up much of the information on Sri Lankan society, especially the social classes, that is given in the Discussion. Those facts help the reader to make sense of the data you report and you should give more of that information in your Introduction to help the reader contextualize the findings. You don't need to to talk about all of the details in the introduction, but they do add information that would be helpful to a reader of the introduction

- The thematic analysis is interesting, but the reader has no sense of how representative it is of the sample of focus groups or individuals. Please go back to the data and make tables to report the number of times each of these themes were mentioned or discussed, variation by gender, and ethnicity. You can also use such data to conduct a grander analysis, like a cluster analysis for the themes. The reader is curious, does the expression of some of these themes within the focus groups overlap with the expression of other themes? That is, are the themes correlated? If so, you could report and discuss such potential patterns in the data. At present, the reader has a rich picture of the general findings and concept of ragging and its social-economic expression at the University, but more concrete numbers would greatly enhance the paper.

Conclusion:

- Please reduce the space given to the Discussion (currently 6 pages) and insert much of that important information in the Background/Theoretical Lenses (which are only 3 pages combined)

Thank you for conducting this important research.

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Author response to Decision Letter 0

We appreciate the time and effort that you and the reviewers have dedicated to providing your valuable feedback on our manuscript. We are grateful to the reviewers for their insightful comments on our manuscript. We have been able to incorporate changes to reflect most of the suggestions provided by the reviewers. We have highlighted the changes within the manuscript. Please see below for a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments and concerns. All page numbers refer to the revised manuscript file with tracked changes.

Reviewer 1#

Thank you very much for taking the time to assess our manuscript and provide your valuable comments. We have addressed all the concerns you have raised to the best of our abilities.

We thank the reviewer for pointing this out. We have revised the manuscript accordingly to comply with the journal format throughout the manuscript.

We have also changed the heading Background to Introduction (page 3, line 46).

We have changed the word background to introduction along with a few other formatting changes as mentioned above.

We have changed the introduction (pages 3-5) to provide a better contextual background as we also received a similar comment from another reviewer.

We agree with the reviewer that some references date back 20 years but there is a strong cultural and historical context to the occurrence of ragging that we wished to highlight. At the same time this is an under researched area in Sri Lanka and there is a lack of current research that can portray the social situation and context.

- Materials and methods section: “Qualitative research is an approach for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem” (Creswell, 2013b, p. 3). In this case, the theoretical approach has not been indicated, is it ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory? A correct qualitative study needs a strong theoretical foundation.

Thank you for pointing out our oversight in not mentioning the theoretical approach. We have now included it in (page 7, line 198). Our reference for the phenomenological approach aligns with Creswell that states that, “Qualitative research is an approach for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem”.

We agree that qualitative studies need a strong theoretical foundation and you will find our theoretical framework in figure 1.

- Research design needs to be further explained, as well as other subsections of the methods. Following the journal recommendations, I kindly suggest reviewing the CASP and COREQ checklists to ensure the quality of the data reporting. For example, the researcher's relationship with the participants, what grade and semester were the students in?

That was a very good suggestion to align with the COREQ checklist. We have revised our methods and materials section using the COREQ checklist. The changes are visible on (pages 8-10, lines 216-278).

The researcher had no relationship with the participants and further details have been added to the relevant section (page 8, line 220-228). To maintain the anonymity of the participants, we did not inquire which grade or semester they were currently studying-in but all participants were chosen from the 2nd and 3rd year of study (page 8, line 217-220).

We appreciate the reviewer’s suggestion and agree that it would be better to use more current references, unfortunately since there is little research available, we are unable to do so. We share your belief that technology has enhanced the ability to be bullied and there were instances stated by our participants where mobile phones were used. It is our hope that this seminal paper will lead to deeper and broader inquiries into the myriad of ways that ragging is carried out in Sri Lanka. The public health of youth and particularly the increase in mental health issues, demand this.

- You should mention limitations

Thank you for pointing out this omission. We have rectified this mistake and added the limitations of our study (page 32, lines 929-940).

Reviewer 2#

We appreciate your time and effort in providing feedback on our manuscript and are thankful for the insightful comments. We have tried our best to address all your comments and concerns.

- There is a total absence of contextualization of the study, the introduction does not justify or theoretically support the research, they should include the hypotheses of the work.

Thank you for this feedback concerning the lack of context in the introduction. We have rectified that shortcoming by reorganizing the introduction section and adding more context as per the reviewer’s suggestion. These changes are reflected in the revised introduction section (pages 3-5). We appreciate the suggestion to include a hypothesis, however as this manuscript is an explorative qualitative study, as in most studies of this nature, there is rarely a hypotheses as it is more about discovery.

- The method is not explicit enough. It does not give details of the data analysis and the software used for the analysis of the transcripts. Likewise, you should expand the information on the characteristics of the participants.

We agree with the reviewer and have updated the methods section to provide more details and information. These changes can be seen on (page 8, lines 214-220 and page 8, lines 253-278). No software was used for the analysis of the transcripts. The diverse research team read and re-read the transcripts after which we spent several days altogether mapping, defining, and re-defining the themes with the help of a whiteboard as per Braun and Clark’s description of carrying out thematic analysis.

- In the discussion section there is no comparison of its results with the initial contextualization. Personally, I am not in favor of using literature in the discussion that has not been previously mentioned in the introduction, since it transmits an incomplete review of the state of the topic investigated, there are several of the citations included in this section that have not been previously cited in the introduction.

Thank you for this observation. We have changed the introduction (pages 3-5) to improve the context as well as changed the discussion (pages 26-31), thereby allowing a better comparison of the results in the discussion section. In this explorative study design, new findings emerged that required searching for new literature that was then included in the discussion. Prior to analysis of the findings, this new material was not relevant to the introduction.

- It should include the limitations and future lines of research before the conclusions.

The conclusions can be expanded to include and / or give examples of how this information can be useful to the population and the field of education. Authors must make explicit reference to the practical application of the results obtained (this is one of the strengths of the manuscript), paying special attention to the possibilities offered by the data for the design of interventions. These limitations should be addressed with a view to the possible publication of the manuscript.

- We agree that practical application is our eventual goal. We have strengthened the manuscript to include the reviewers suggestions, which will be reflected on (pages 32-33, lines 942-949). As this was an explorative study, these results cannot be generalized although in qualitative there is a possibility that some of the findings/ideas are transferable to similar settings/contexts but that would be up to the different individual readers to draw any conclusions there. Therefore, the practical application of the results and the design of intervention require further research. This will certainly be addressed in our upcoming research currently underway.

The limitations of our study have been included to the manuscript

(page 32, lines 929-940).

Reviewer 3#

We thank you for taking the time to identify certain issues in our manuscript and providing us with the opportunity to strengthen the paper.

- Introduction/Background/Theoretical Lenses:

This section needs more of the explanatory material provided in the Discussion. Please use the introduction to expand more on issues of how ragging is perhaps culturally specific, even though it does have analogues in other cultures. Indeed, please move up much of the information on Sri Lankan society, especially the social classes, that is given in the Discussion. Those facts help the reader to make sense of the data you report and you should give more of that information in your Introduction to help the reader contextualize the findings. You don't need to talk about all of the details in the introduction, but they do add information that would be helpful to a reader of the introduction.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention what lacked in our introduction to make this paper a comprehensive read for those unfamiliar with this context. We have reorganized and revised our introduction (pages 3-5) and discussion (pages 26-31) as suggested to include more extensive information concerning Sri Lanka’s history, society, and culture.

The thematic analysis is interesting, but the reader has no sense of how representative it is of the sample of focus groups or individuals. Please go back to the data and make tables to report the number of times each of these themes were mentioned or discussed, variation by gender, and ethnicity. You can also use such data to conduct a grander analysis, like a cluster analysis for the themes. The reader is curious, does the expression of some of these themes within the focus groups overlap with the expression of other themes? That is, are the themes correlated? If so, you could report and discuss such potential patterns in the data. At present, the reader has a rich picture of the general findings and concept of ragging and its social-economic expression at the University, but more concrete numbers would greatly enhance the paper.

We appreciate the reviewer’s suggestion and agree that it would be interesting to demonstrate number of times each of these themes were mentioned or discussed, variation by gender, and ethnicity however, such an analysis is beyond the scope of this introductory and exploratory paper. We hope that this explorative/scoping study will serve as base line information to feed into our planned quantitative study where your idea a grander analysis would indeed provide more concrete numbers.

The themes of our study were inductive and data driven. In the method of Thematic analysis as per Braun and Clark, themes can overlap and are not mutually exclusive as in content analysis. This is demonstrated in figure 2.

- Conclusion:

Please reduce the space given to the Discussion (currently 6 pages) and insert much of that important information in the Background/Theoretical Lenses (which are only 3 pages combined).

Thank you for your comment, we have enriched the introduction and reorganized the discussion section as per the reviewer’s suggestion. Unfortunately, we were not able to reduce the number of pages of the discussion since we had to address the comments from the other reviewers on the discussion, and we also added the limitations of our study.

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 1

20 Sep 2021

PONE-D-21-15111R1

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we have decided that your manuscript does not meet our criteria for publication and must therefore be rejected based on the reviwers´ suggestion. 

I am sorry that we cannot be more positive on this occasion, but hope that you appreciate the reasons for this decision.

Yours sincerely,

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #3: All comments have been addressed

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

Reviewer #3: Partly

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

6. Review Comments to the Author

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: Thank you for addressing the concerns of my review. The paper is now much easier to follow for a non-specialist reader. However I do remain concerned about the lack of any type of quantitative analysis of the data, but I understand that such analyses will be provided in future research.

7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article ( what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

For journal use only: PONEDEC3

Author response to Decision Letter 1

Comments by the Author

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #3: All comments have been addressed

Authors comments

Based on the question it appears that two reviewers were satisfied with our comments which is why we are confused where our omissions lie.

Reviewer #1: Partly

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Partly

This question is very quantitatively oriented and is not applicable to our manuscript as it was a qualitative manuscript. Our manuscript is technically sound for a qualitative piece, the data supports the conclusions and has been guided by the COREQ checklist suggested by your reviewer. Our manuscript also follows the guidelines for qualitative work on the PLOS ONE website submission guide.

Reviewer #1: N/A

Reviewer #3: No

This question is also quantitatively oriented and is not applicable to our manuscript as it was a qualitative manuscript. We are quite surprised by these varied responses by your reviewers number 2 and 3.

Reviewer #1: No

We were asked to provide the interview guide which we promptly provided. There were no further requests for any other data although we would have gladly provided any further data if requested.

In review 2, we received contradictory responses from the reviewers as opposed to review 1, which leaves us quite confused.

Reviewer #3: Yes

We are quite perplexed that in the first review round, all reviewers agreed, the manuscript was “presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English”. In the second-round reviewer number 1 changed the response although only minor edits were carried out according to the reviewers comments. The manuscript has undergone English language review each time by a professional English academic writer, who is also a co-author.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: Thank you for addressing the concerns of my review. The paper is now much easier to follow for a non-specialist reader. However I do remain concerned about the lack of any type of quantitative analysis of the data, but I understand that such analyses will be provided in future research.

If our manuscript is “not acceptable” despite “all comments have been addressed” (please see comment 1), it leaves us wondering what is missing now and leaves little room for improving the paper, qualitatively.

The comment from reviewer 3 shows lack of understanding of qualitative work as there is no quantitative analyses in qualitative research. The reviewer #3 also presents as a “non-specialist reader”.

Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 2

22 Feb 2022

PONE-D-21-15111R2

Dear Dr Wickramasinghe,

First of all, let me thank you for your patience! I have now finished my assessment of your paper and the previous review process.

Your paper touches on a very important issue that is worth to be presented to the scientific public. However, I have a couple of major concerns that prevent the publication of the paper as it stands. If you see a possibility and feel motivated for a second major and thorough revision that addresses my concerns, it will be a pleasure for us to review this revised version. But I should emphasize that it will be an open decision and that there will be no guarantee that PlosOne publishes a revised version.

Before I go into details of the paper, I will explain my assessment of the previous review process. Similar as you, I was surprised by the rejection of the paper on the basis of three very different reviewer reports. Although it is not unusual that the paper is rejected even if one reviewer accepts the paper, another one wishes major revision and the third reviewer rejects the paper, I think you were justified to expect more involvement and guidance from the academic editor, particularly because the reviewer recommendations diverged. I also share your opinion that at least one of the reviewer may have been a suboptimal choice since s(he) was not very familiar with qualitative methods and asked you to present quantitative details that are only usual in some qualitative methods, such as a qualitative content analysis.

Therefore, I think your appeal was justified as far as we consider the review process. Together with a Division Editor of PlosOne, we decided to re-review your paper. To avoid an undue delay, only one person, me as the new Academic Editor, has reviewed the paper:

1. My first major concern refers to the study question. Although the study question  seems clear on first view – the perception of ragging, seen from the student perspective –, the sample of students that you choose for your study makes the issue ambiguous. One could say, it is a group ‘in - between’. They are no longer freshman who experience ragging at the very moment; they are not 'old' students who are 'entitled' to rag other students. Therefore, some of them may have experienced ragging – we don’t know exactly; some may have observed ragging being in the position of a 'neutral observer' or a 'former affected person' – we don’t know exactly; some seem to prepare themselves to become ‘ragger’ themselves in the near future – we don’t know exactly. But throughout the paper you write more or less as an advocate of the 'victims' (see, for example, lines 114 -118).

I can understand your argument that you did not want to discuss this matter with young students, who may still suffer from ragging or are reminded of this terrible experience in the group discussion, you cannot claim your study addresses the victim perspective (line 116). While this seems to be a limitation of your study, you could also make it to a strength of your study. The experiences of your 'in – between' group may be an optimal opportunity to study how a procedure, which is so burdensome for many young persons, becomes an established and accepted institution in students' life. So you should clarify what you exactly expect from your study – it is definitely not the experience of ragging; in this case young students should have been enrolled. So you should precisely define your scientific interest (e.g., to understand how ragging invades student life and culture). Of course, you can criticize the practice of ragging in the Discussion but you should not use the study participants for this purpose; they are much more ambivalent.

2. My second major concern refers to what you define as the 'overarching theme' of your analysis: "ragging as a means of communication". It was you, not the students, who stimulated a communication about ragging. Even more important, the students first reaction in the group discussion was to emphasize that ragging did not occur (line 391). It seems to be a secret or hidden practice, but definitely not a ‘means of communication’. Perhaps you mean something else but your expression is in any case misleading. By the way, I’m not sure whether you need an overarching theme at all. Isn’t it sufficient to define your subthemes as main themes and to present them as your results?

In this case, it may be a good idea to start the Results section with the issue of 'secrecy' and your overall observation that all groups denied ragging in the beginning of the discussion. This is really striking, given the formative experience of ragging. Obviously, older students try to forget or deny it. This could be the first important result and could later lead to an interesting discussion how difficult it is to make ragging 'public'.

3. Please check the logic of your themes and how you present them in the Results section. I see a couple of inconsistencies so that a re-arrangement may be required. Let me give you several examples:

(a) ‘Trivializing violence’ (lines 415 ff.) is not a subtheme of "Veil of secrecy and silence".

(b) Although the examples under the subtheme "Rigid norms" are interesting, I’m not sure whether all of them belong to the main theme "A society with deep divisions". They deal, for example, with things like a general lack of protection of women (why is this a matter of ‘rigid norms’?). I think, other interesting examples, too, have nothing to do with ‘rigid norms’, such as equalizing (lines 503 ff.) or denying ethnic clashes (lines 536 ff.). Please check the main theme and the subthemes so that they are consistent.    

(c) It is also not clear how the students’ feeling not to be heard by the society and the university (lines 542 ff.) or the feeling of insecurity (lines 571 ff.) is related to ragging. It is surely an important aspect, especially in the life of minorities but the authors should help readers to understand why these feelings and experiences may lead to ragging or may cause some students to accept ragging or to deny it. This should happen at least in the Discussion

(d) I would recommend to display “The students’ recommendations” (lines 585 ff.) as a main theme in Figure 2 and to present it as a main theme in the text so that readers can better follow your complete analysis and identification of themes.

4. The Discussion needs much more structure. You should start with a short and precise “summary of main findings”, no longer than 8 to 10 lines. I would suggest to stress the aspect of ambiguity or ambivalence towards ragging as the most important aspect (at least for me). The first sentence (lines 611 f.) Is superfluous; the last sentence (lines 617 ff. should be moved to the "Strength and Limitations" section in the Discussion. After the short summary you could go on with three major sections perhaps clearly marked with a subheading:

- Why ragging is positively perceived?

- Why ragging is negatively perceived?

- The wider context of ragging: Sri Lanka and its university culture

(this is nothing nothing more than a suggestion; I think you have better ideas.)

In any case, it is important that the reader recognizes a clear structure and a clear line of arguments.

5. I like your theoretical model of violence displayed in Figure 1, but I see two problems. I miss an “integration” as you claim with the Figure. Some arrows in the Figure and the pure statement “structural violence, intersectionality and social dominance theories are intricately linked” in the text (line 144) are not an integration. Moreover, you should use this model in a more creative way to explain ragging in societies like Sri Lanka. For example, as far as I understand, you say Sri Lanka is a violent country and unsatisfactory conditions contribute to student violence (line 657 f.). I agree, but one could ask, how? You say, ragging is violence and at the same time, ragging seems to be protest against inequalities and violence of the society. It is also remarkable that it is not the upper-class students (or only a few) who practice ragging but those at the other social end. Therefore, I would very much appreciate if you make a second attempt to use the model for an explanation.

Some minor concerns:

6. In addition to reference 22, you may also refer to this just published study that shows the strong association of ragging and suicide: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35025905/

7. Did you attach the COREQ statement for qualitative studies and did you fill in the page numbers, as requested?

8. Line 399: One or two examples how seniors named juniors could be helpful to better understand this humiliating procedure.

9. It would be generally helpful to give more examples (in form of an Appendix) how ragging is executed. It reminded me of practices and rituals of student leagues (“Burschenschaften) in Germany. Here, too, the younger ones have to be servants of the older students, are treated very badly, much alcohol is on the way and for some student leagues it is a special pleasure to hurt one another, using swords and, thus, to demonstrate masculinity. These practices are well known and also documented via media so that we have a very good idea of these rituals. Perhaps you have also some material to present examples in an Appendix that makes ragging easier imaginable for Non-Sri Lanka people.

10. Line 729 ff. Of course, the practices you describe here are humiliating women. But please, consider that it can also be a hard expectation towards male students to behave in such an inhuman way. I do not want to exonerate males from accusations but some of them may also feel in a dilemma.

11. Line 785: I agree with your last plea but, following the students’ experiences, should it not read that it needs deep reforms in the university and the society to successfully combating ragging?

Please submit your revised manuscript by Apr 08 2022 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at  gro.solp@enosolp . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

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Wolfgang Himmel

Journal requirements:

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We will update your Data Availability statement on your behalf to reflect the information you provide.

Author response to Decision Letter 2

Response to Reviewers

Dear Wolfgang Himmel,

Thank you for your review of our manuscript. We appreciate the time and effort you have taken to provide insightful feedback as well as your useful comments. Your comments and concerns have been addressed below. We accept the opportunity you have offered to submit a revised draft of our manuscript with the revised title: “When a person can’t obey, he is subjected to violence”; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan university to PLOS ONE. Attached, please also find the completed COREQ guide as requested and additionally, more examples of ragging, as supporting information in an Appendix.

The interview guide was developed by the research group as a part of the study and is not copy righted. The interview guide was only developed in English as all the moderators were fluent in English and did not require the interview guide to be translated.

We attached the transcripts of the 17 FGDs as requested as supporting information S4_4.File. We would once again like to point out the sensitive nature of the transcripts. The FDGs conducted among the students were divided by ethnicity and gender, and most often the participants belonged to the same faculty. During the FGDs the participants also discussed certain issues which would increase the chances of them being identified. Some of the issues discussed where regarding the lecturers and the university administration which could cause problems for the students if they were to be identified. These indirect identifiers may risk the identification of study participants, which would be a breach of our confidentiality agreement, as well as our ethical approval.

Changes made within the manuscript are highlighted below in blue along with a point-by-point response to your comments and concerns. All page numbers refer to the revised manuscript file with tracked changes.

1. My first major concern refers to the study question. Although the study question seems clear on first view – the perception of ragging, seen from the student perspective –, the sample of students that you choose for your study makes the issue ambiguous. One could say, it is a group ‘in - between’. They are no longer freshman who experience ragging at the very moment; they are not 'old' students who are 'entitled' to rag other students. Therefore, some of them may have experienced ragging – we don’t know exactly; some may have observed ragging being in the position of a 'neutral observer' or a 'former affected person' – we don’t know exactly; some seem to prepare themselves to become ‘ragger’ themselves in the near future – we don’t know exactly. But throughout the paper you write more or less as an advocate of the 'victims' (see, for example, lines 114 -118).

Thank you for pointing this out. We have revised the manuscript accordingly to make it clearer. As health care advocates we often tend to divert attentions towards the victim’s plight but we agree that this is a public health problem where all students suffer, as you correctly indicate.

These changes are visible on page 8 line 223-224 and in the introduction in page 6, line 136-138.

I can understand your argument that you did not want to discuss this matter with young students, who may still suffer from ragging or are reminded of this terrible experience in the group discussion, you cannot claim your study addresses the victim perspective (line 116). While this seems to be a limitation of your study, you could also make it to a strength of your study. The experiences of your 'in – between' group may be an optimal opportunity to study how a procedure, which is so burdensome for many young persons, becomes an established and accepted institution in students' life. So, you should clarify what you exactly expect from your study – it is definitely not the experience of ragging; in this case young students should have been enrolled. So, you should precisely define your scientific interest (e.g., to understand how ragging invades student life and culture). Of course, you can criticize the practice of ragging in the Discussion but you should not use the study participants for this purpose; they are much more ambivalent.

As ragging is a very sensitive issue in Sri Lanka, we had to be very cautious in our selection of participants. We also realized that we had not mentioned that perpetration of ragging occurs from the second year of university attendance, onwards and have now included this information in the introduction (Page 5, line 109-111). In order to better define/clarify our scientific interest, we have amended the aim (Page 6, line 141-143) of our study.

This paper is a part of a larger study on ragging where we have found the prevalence rates of ragging among students at Jaffna University to be over 50%. We have another qualitative manuscript exploring the perceptions of lecturers and other key persons attached to the University highlighting that angle.

Thank you for your comment. Following a discussion between the authors, we have decided to change the overall theme to “Ragging as an expression of power” which maybe better suited for the study. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes and page 11, line 277)

We have made changes in the order of the results section to start with the “Veil of secrecy and silence” as it is an important and interesting aspect of ragging, as you underscored in your comments (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes and page 11, lines 288-309).

3. Please check the logic of your themes and how you present them in the Results section. I see a couple of inconsistencies so that a re-arrangement may be required.

Thank you for your comment. We have revised the order of the results in a manner that might be easier to follow. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes)

We have changed “Trivializing violence”, to belong to the subtheme “A society with deep divisions” as it is a culturally learned response. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes and page 22, line 620-635).

(b) Although the examples under the subtheme "Rigid norms" are interesting, I’m not sure whether all of them belong to the main theme "A society with deep divisions". They deal, for example, with things like a general lack of protection of women (why is this a matter of ‘rigid norms’?). I think, other interesting examples, too, have nothing to do with ‘rigid norms’, such as equalizing (lines 503 ff.) or denying ethnic clashes (lines 536 ff.). Please check the main theme and the subthemes so that they are consistent.

We have thought through your suggestion and revised the subthemes as well as removed some sections which we agreed could lead to confusion. Societal/Cultural norms are the foundations of how people comport themselves in groups. When there is an inflexibility between groups, there tends to be inequalities and higher rates of conflict. That said, the lack of protection for women occurred in small pockets and as it was not mentioned widely in the study so we decided to omit it. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes)

(c) It is also not clear how the students’ feeling not to be heard by the society and the university (lines 542 ff.) or the feeling of insecurity (lines 571 ff.) is related to ragging. It is surely an important aspect, especially in the life of minorities but the authors should help readers to understand why these feelings and experiences may lead to ragging or may cause some students to accept ragging or to deny it. This should happen at least in the discussion.

Thank you for this observation. We realize that insecurity, might not be directly related to ragging and we have removed these sections. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes)

We appreciate the reviewer’s suggestion and agree that it would be better to have “student recommendations” as a main theme. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes and pages 24-25, lines 668-840)

We have made changes to streamline the discussion as per your suggestion, and added subheadings to demarcate the three major sections for better flow. We combined the positive and negative ragging under the subheading of “Spectrum of ragging”. (page 25-31)

- Why ragging is positively perceived? (page 30, line 1125-1158)

- Why ragging is negatively perceived? (page 31, line 1160-1168)

- The wider context of ragging: Sri Lanka and its university culture (page 26, line 1002-1122)

We agree that there was much room for improvement in our model to demonstrate the integration of the three theoretical frameworks. These changes will be visible in Fig.1. Integrated theories on ragging in society.

6. In addition to reference 22, you may also refer to this just published study that shows the strong association of ragging and suicide:

Thank you for the reference. We have included it in our manuscript (Reference 24, page 5-6, line 131-133).

We did not attach the COREQ guide statement for qualitative studies although we followed the guidelines. We have now attached it under supporting information. (S_2. File)

We appreciate the suggestion to include an example of how the seniors humiliate the juniors and have included it (page 11-12, line 295-309 and page 13, line 333-343).

Thank you for this recommendation to include examples of ragging to better understand this practice especially for non-Sri Lankans. We have added several newspaper articles and YouTube links as a supporting document. (S_3 File)

We share your belief that gendered expectations harm both women and men and we have rephrased this sentence (page 28, line 1077).

Thank you for your suggestion, which is also our belief and does strengthen our closing statement (page 33, line 1379-1381).

Decision Letter 3

25 May 2022

PONE-D-21-15111R3“When a person can’t obey, he is subjected to violence”; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan universityPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Wickramasinghe,

==============================

From my point of view, the manuscript has clearly gained in structure, methodological clarity and explanatory power. Before the final acceptance of the paper and publication, I would like to suggest a number of changes and additions, which you hopefully appreciate:

1. It was a good idea to change the title, especially since the previous title was difficult to understand for readers who are unfamiliar with the background of Sri Lanka. However, I’m afraid, readers will also have problems to understand the meaning of the new title and its association with ragging, apart from the fact that “he” in the title is suboptimal and “(s)he” is not accurate … What do you think about including the topic of ‘power’ in the title, for example this way:

“Ragging as an expression of power in a deeply divided society — a qualitative study on students’ perceptions of ragging at a Sri Lankan university”

You may even find a better alternative. Please, consider, I’m a non-native speaker …

2. Although you tried to adapt the Abstract to the new version, it reflects the manuscript only to a limited degree. For example, main themes and sub themes are not well presented in the Abstract; also, the Discussion in the paper is not represented in the Abstract.

First of all, I would suggest to structure the Abstract with the help of the usual subheadings, i.e., Introduction, Methods and so on.  Please be aware, PlosOne allows 300 words (you have currently about 250 words).   

The last two sentences of the Abstract are very similar, so one of them could be deleted. Instead, there would be some more room for 1 or 2 sentences of a "Discussion ". Moreover, to be more precise, I would suggest to change one of the reported results in the Abstract this way:

The findings revealed how students used ragging as an expression of power to initiate order and as a way to express dissatisfaction towards social inequalities occurring within the larger society as well as facilitate bonds between university students.

The findings revealed how students used—or perceived—ragging very differently: as an expression of power to initiate order or as a way to express dissatisfaction towards social inequalities occurring within the larger society or to facilitate bonds between university students.

3. line 117: the word “ragging” is missing, isn’t it? (my “lines” always refer to the ‘clean’ version.)

4. For me, the lines 120 to 127 are crucial because they present and justify the Aim of the Study. However, I do not find the passage completely convincing and could imagine the following passage instead, based mainly on regrouping the sentences:

It is increasingly imperative to address this serious public health problem that profoundly affects all students, not only victims but also perpetrators and by-standers. Ragging has a potential deleterious impact upon society’s younger generations and their university years intended for building intellectual capacity. Educating youth in a safe space is essential, particularly for its subsequent contributions towards the country’s future. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of students concerning the phenomenon of ragging, and to understand how ragging affects student life and culture at the University of Jaffna.

Educating the youth in a safe space is essential, particularly for their subsequent contributions towards the country’s future. It is increasingly imperative to address this serious public health problem from the students’ perspective and to understand how it affects all students, not only victims but also perpetrators and by-standers. Since ragging has a potentially deleterious impact upon society’s younger generations and their university years intended for building intellectual capacity. The aim of this study was to explore how students perceive ragging and how ragging affects student life and culture at the University of Jaffna.

You may even find better alternatives …

5. From the history of the submission, I know that the chapter “Theoretical lenses” was desired by the reviewers for the Introduction. Although interesting, it may surprise the reader at this point, because after the formulation of the Aim of the Study, the Methods chapter is expected. That said, it would be much wiser to present the Theoretical lenses right there, namely in the Methods chapter, preferably starting at line 227 ff. What do you think?

While moving the Theoretical lenses into the Methods chapter, you should make it a bit clearer at this point that you used the Theoretical lenses to sensitize yourself for the data analysis. You have already mentioned this very well at the end of the Discussion; however, this argument should (also) come up already at the beginning of the Theoretical lenses chapter so that readers are informed about the significance of this chapter.

6. Due to the many (sub)headings in the Results chapter, it is not always clear which of them are the four main topics. I would therefore simply suggest (for lines 251, 278 etc.) to add: Subtheme 1: …, Subtheme 2: …  etc.

7. Line 283: I would suggest to start the first sentence with: For many students, ragging was part of …

8. Of course, I do not want to go into the details of your analysis. However, the presentation of the themes is still not quite logical in some places — despite the otherwise very successful revision. This is most noticeable in the case of sub-theme 2. For me, there are two very different topics that are shoved into each other here, namely ‘Ragging lies on a wide spectrum’ and ‘ragging is a cyclical event that thereby establishes hierarchies’.

While the lines 283 ff. belong to the ‘spectrum’ topic, lines 288 ff. belong to ‘hierarchy’. Lines 307 ff. deal again with ‘spectrum’ over a rather longer period. Lines 352 ff. then deal with ‘hierarchy’; lines 371 ff. clarify in particular the cyclic character, lines 386 ff. the ‘hierarchy’. Lines 406 ff. again the ‘spectrum’, in this case, the positive side. Lines 417 ff. deal again with the ‘cyclic hierarchies’. This is the way I read/understand your quotes.

I urgently ask you to check here again structure and argumentation thoroughly, as well as the naming of the main topics. Perhaps a fifth sub-theme will be appropriate to avoid the confusion in presenting sub-theme 2. In any case, your terms/themes should be distinctive, convincing and simply to follow for readers. 

Please submit your revised manuscript by Jul 09 2022 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at  gro.solp@enosolp . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

Author response to Decision Letter 3

Thank you for your very thorough reading of our manuscript. We appreciate you taking the time as the editor, and for all the insightful comments and recommendations you have made. We you are grateful for the opportunity to refine our manuscript to PLOS ONE standards.

“Ragging as an Expression of Power in a Deeply Divided Society; — a qualitative study on students’ perceptions of ragging at a Sri Lankan university”

Thank you for your suggestion. We agree that the title you suggested, better captures the understanding of our manuscript’s content and have revised the title accordingly. (Page 1 line 3-5).

First of all, I would suggest to structure the Abstract with the help of the usual subheadings, i.e., Introduction, Methods and so on. Please be aware, PlosOne allows 300 words (you have currently about 250 words).

We appreciate your suggestions on refining the abstract for more clarity.

Your observation of the repetition in the final lines of the abstract prompted us to delete one of the last sentences. (Pages 2, line 42)

We agree that it would be better to rephrase the findings in the abstract as recommended by the reviewer. (Page 2, lines 36-39)

While we appreciate the suggestion to include a structured abstract with subheadings, most qualitative work published in PLOS ONE had unstructured abstracts and we thought it was best to adhere to the general rule.

We have rectified the omission and now included the word “ragging” (Page 5, line 127).

Thank you for your suggestion. We have revised the aim, taking your suggestion into consideration and rearranged the sentences to make the aim more succinct. (Page 6, lines 133-139).

Thank you for your comment. We have thought through your suggestion and made some changes to both the Theoretical lenses section (Page 6, lines 143-144) and the Methods section (Page 10, lines 242-243) which will enable the reader to comprehend this section better.

Since it is common practice in qualitative studies to include the theoretical lenses at the end of the introduction, we have adhered to this format. Furthermore, theories most often evolve from the literature review and even when not made explicit, are ever-present throughout the work. For example, phenomenology is understood as foundational to qualitative approaches. There is an interplay between the theoretical lenses, the introduction to the literature, and the methods section. We believe, including the theoretical lenses at the end of the introduction, helps sensitize the reader early in the text thereby laying the groundwork in which to view the methods section.

6. Due to the many (sub)headings in the Results chapter, it is not always clear which of them are the four main topics. I would therefore simply suggest (for lines 251, 278 etc.) to add: Subtheme 1: …, Subtheme 2: … etc.

We agree that including subheadings in the Results section would make the main topics/themes more clear (Page 11 line 267, Page 12 line 295, Page 15 line 380, Page 18line 464, Page 23 line 588).

We thank the reviewer for the comment and have made the necessary revision. (Page 12, line 296)

I urgently ask you to check here again structure and argumentation thoroughly, as well as the naming of the main topics. Perhaps a fifth sub-theme will be appropriate to avoid the confusion in presenting sub-theme 2. In any case, your terms/themes should be distinctive, convincing and simply to follow for readers.

We appreciate your perspective here. We have revised the sub-theme titles by moving the section “Ragging lies on a spectrum” and making it a new sub-theme. We agree that it does impart more distinctive data than having it as part of the Cycle of Ragging. This will facilitate better understanding for the reader. (Fig. 2. Main theme and subthemes and page 12, lines 295-299).

We have also added a few sentences to clarify certain sections that may have been a little unclear. (Page 12, lines 298-453)

As recommended, a section found under “Ragging lies on a spectrum” has been moved to a more appropriate place in the text under “The powerful perpetrator” for easier comprehension. (Page 17, lines 432-439)

The section “Juniors dependent on seniors” is meant to illustrate dependency indicating subservience in the hierarchy. As the initial part of this section with its accompanying quote may had led to some confusion, we have omitted it from our revised manuscript to make it less ambiguous. (Page 17, lines 442-453)

Decision Letter 4

24 Jun 2022

Ragging as an expression of power in a deeply divided society ; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan university

PONE-D-21-15111R4

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice for payment will follow shortly after the formal acceptance. To ensure an efficient process, please log into Editorial Manager at http://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ , click the 'Update My Information' link at the top of the page, and double check that your user information is up-to-date. If you have any billing related questions, please contact our Author Billing department directly at gro.solp@gnillibrohtua .

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Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Let me say that I appreciated your efforts to constantly improve the manuscript. I hope you also agree that the manuscript is now much clearer in its arguments, easier to read and will evoke a better understanding of Sri Lanka's student culture and the country's structural problems. Thank you!   

Additional journal comments:

This decision was made after a re-evaluation following an appeal to a reject decision issued after a first round of revisions. More information about the appeal process can be found at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/editorial-and-peer-review-process#loc-appeals

Acceptance letter

30 Jun 2022

Dear Dr. Wickramasinghe:

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact gro.solp@sserpeno .

If we can help with anything else, please email us at gro.solp@enosolp .

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

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How to deal with ragging? A guideline on what students, institutions should do

The students can directly approach the anti-ragging helpline through call or email. candidates can dial the anti-ragging helpline at 1800-180-5522 or in cases of emergency call on +91 9818 044 577..

In view of the recent incidents of ragging in Vellore and Hyderabad where students were seen being assaulted by their fellow students or seniors, it is natural that freshers could be worried about any such untoward incident happening to them. Here’s what you can do if you face any ragging related issues in their universities or colleges:

– The National Anti-Ragging Helpline is a 24×7 toll free helpline for students in distress. The students can call at 1800-180-5522

– The students can also email the Anti-Ragging Helpline at [email protected]

– In cases of emergencies, students can contact Centre for Youth (the UGC monitoring agency) on its mobile number +91 98180 44577

– The students can also visit the UGC website – ugc.ac.in and antiragging.in for more information regarding ragging.

What is defined as ‘ragging’?

– Any conduct by a student or group of students where words spoken, written or an act has the effect of teasing, treating or handling someone with rudeness.

– A student or group of students indulging in rowdy or indiscipline activities causing annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm, raise fear or apprehension to other students

– Asking any student to do an act that generates a sense of shame, torment or embarrassment adversely affecting the physique or psyche of a student

– Any act by a senior student that would prevent, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any student

– Exploiting services of a student for completing academic tasks assigned

– Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on other students by students

– Any act of physical abuse: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing any kind of bodily harm or any other danger to health or person

– Any act of abuse by spoken words, emails, posts, or public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to any student

– Any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of any student.

What happens to students found guilty?

There are several actions that can be taken by a head of an institution against ragging incidents. First, they should determine if the case falls under penal laws or not. If it does, either the head themselves or through a member of the Anti-Ragging Committee should file an FIR within 24 hours of receiving the receipt with the police or local authorities. There are 15 penal provisions under which a case can be filed.

If any student is found guilty of ragging, the institution shall punish the student depending on the facts, nature and gravity of each incident. The punishment can range from suspension from attending classes to expulsion from the institution and subsequent debarring from admission to any other institution.

What happens to colleges if incidents of ragging are found on campus?

Any incidents of ragging will adversely affect the institution’s accreditation, ranking or grading by NAAC or any other authorised accreditation agency.

Roles and responsibilities of the UGC

The UGC has to undertake certain responsibilities such as informing the head of any institution, warden of hostels and nodal officers of the affiliated university, and the concerned district authorities if required as soon as they receive a distress call. The Commission shall maintain an appropriate database to create affidavits, it should be affirmed by the students and their parents and it should be stored electronically. And, in order to build confidence in the public, the database shall be made available to a non-governmental agency to be nominated by the Centre.

All institutions have been asked by the UGC to add a mandatory column in the admission form pertaining to Anti Ragging Undertaking Reference number . Also, they are supposed to fill online compliance on antiragging.in .

The UGC has asked the institutions to make it compulsory for every student and parent to submit an undertaking at antiragging.in. The revised procedure for students to file online anti-ragging affidavits has to be implemented by the institutions. An email with the registration number will be sent to the student, who in turn will forward that email to the nodal office in their university.

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Essay On Ragging For Students In Easy Words – Read Here

• September 30, 2021

Ragging is the practice of bullying or coercing someone to attend classes by force, threat, or other means. This essay discusses how ragging has been a problem in India for decades. It also presents some solutions to the problem and suggests ways that students can avoid being victims of ragging.

Ragging in school is a form of bullying that involves students being forced to do menial tasks. It is often used as a punishment for misbehaving or poor performance at school.

Ragging is a word used to describe the behavior of students in schools and universities. It refers to senior students at a college harassing younger college students for their own amusement. This ragging of students is performed in many nations with higher educational institutes, and it is mainly done on younger students by their seniors in these Universities and Institutions.

The college seniors attempt to embarrass or harass the younger students who are fresh to the institution. They also use harsh language and order them to perform work that is similar to harassment for them. They also subject junior pupils to physical abuse. The ragging of junior students is usually done for the amusement of older students, however it is very hazardous for a student since it may result in death.

Torture and Its Consequences

Mostly, this ragging is done in Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. However, these ragging systems are practiced by students in countries such as America, and all over, and this ragging should be controlled by the governments of these countries for the welfare of their students.

. The Torture that Senior Students Inflict on Junior Students There are many tortures that junior students must endure, such as being ordered to change their dress code and dress as their opposite sex, or being fooled and verbally tortured by their seniors, and as a result, the ragging system can affect the minds of junior students, making them feel as if they g

Organization that fights ragging

Ragging is a practice that is practiced in various nations, including India. Many highly educated institutes are being developed in India, as well as many engineering and medical colleges, and most raggings are taking place in this field because many students prefer to go to higher institutes to further their education, but in these institutions, there are many senior students who like to ragg the junior and new students, and so because of this, most raggings are taking place in this field.

As a result, the government has established a number of anti-ragging NGOs to ensure the safety of students. It has been noted in India that ragging has resulted in approximately 11 to 12 deaths in the last eight years, and as a result, the government has taken action against ragging and a number of NGOs have been established. This anti-ragging hotline is for students who have been ragged or coerced to contact and complain about the ragging, and the government would take action against those who are ragging their juniors.

Many universities have been looking at this since anti-ragging groups have emerged in India, and older students have been prevented from ragging their younger peers, perhaps saving the lives of many people.

You may post any additional questions regarding Essay On Ragging in the comment section below.

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• October 1, 2021

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23.Class 11 & 12 Short Essay and Article on : Ragging-An Evil

Ragging has raised its ugly head again. A recent incident at a prestigious school has shown that this evil has not yet come to an end. Write an article on “Ragging – An Evil”. You are Navtej/Navita.

Ans.                                                                        Ragging-An Evil

Ragging refers to an act that violates the dignity of a person. There are many complaints of physical and psychological injury due to ragging in educational institutions. It is a matter of shame that even though ragging has been criticized for decades, we still come across such incidents of inhuman torture. A recent incident of ragging at a prestigious school has shocked the entire city.

 It is a pity that the practice has been going on for decades and the victims of last year become the perpetrators this year. These instances only see the daylight when a student commits suicide due to inhuman behaviour and it gets reported in the media. Though ragging in schools is still not as bad as ragging that takes place in colleges. Schools do provide a safe environment where teachers, parents and even student council bodies are engaged in anti-ragging campaigns and thus it prevents ragging from taking an ugly form. However, in collages when students are exposed to the real world with no protected environment or the involvement of teachers and parents, ragging takes its ugliest form, where senior students use force, ask for unsuitable demands, including sexual favours by their juniors which result in suicides or even campus murders. However, ragging is not limited to schools and colleges but it is an issue that the entire society needs to deal with. The mindset of ‘powerful has the right to force the weak’ is the basis of ragging which is a social evil, as it leads to disintegration and differences within society.

This issue can be dealt with only when we make society more sensitive towards each other and also empower students not to be victimized but raise their voice in the face of ragging in any form.

Download the above Article in PDF (Printable)

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Transfer and Postings

Paragraph On Ragging 100, 150, 200, 250 to 300 Words for Kids, Students, and Children

Paragraph On Ragging: Ragging, also known as hazing or inauguration, refers to the practice of seniors assessing tasks, importunity, or demotion on new scholars. While originally seen as a cling experience, it has evolved into a dangerous and dangerous tradition that frequently crosses boundaries.

Table of Contents

Paragraph On Ragging

In this blog Paragraph On Ragging, we include About Paragraph On Ragging, in 100, 200, 250, and 300 words. Also cover Paragraph On Clock for classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and up to the 12th class and also for kids, children, and students. You can read more Essay Writing in 10 lines about sports, events, occasions, festivals, etc… Paragraph On Ragging is also available in different languages. In this, Paragraph On Ragging, the following features are explained in the given manner.

Paragraph On Ragging- 100 Words For Classes 1, 2, 3 Kids

Ragging is a social issue current in educational institutions, especially sodalities and universities. It refers to the act of seniors or aged scholars subjugating new scholars to colorful forms of importunity, demotion, and physical or internal abuse. Ragging frequently occurs during the original days of the academic time when freshers join the institution. This practice not only creates an unhealthy terrain for the beginners but also poses serious cerebral and emotional challenges for them. Ragging can have long- lasting goods on the victims, leading to anxiety, depression, and indeed self-murder in extreme cases. It’s essential for educational institutions to take strict measures to check ragging and produce a safe and inclusive atmosphere for all scholars.

Paragraph On Ragging- 150 Words For Classes 4, 5 Children

Ragging, also known as hazing, is a pervasive issue that pestilences numerous educational institutions, particularly sodalities and universities. It involves the act of seniors or aged scholars subjugating new scholars to colorful forms of importunity, demotion, and physical or internal abuse. Ragging frequently takes place during the original days of the academic time when freshers join the institution. The intention behind ragging is frequently to establish a scale and ply dominance over beginners. still, this practice creates a poisonous and hostile terrain for the victims, leaving them traumatized and emotionally scarred.

Ragging can have severe consequences on the internal health and overall well- being of the affected scholars, leading to anxiety, depression, and a decline in academic performance. It can indeed affect in woeful issues, similar as self-murder. thus, it’s pivotal for educational institutions to take strict measures to help ragging and foster a safe and inclusive atmosphere for all scholars. mindfulness juggernauts, strict programs, and effective monitoring can help annihilate this dangerous practice and promote a culture of respect, support, and equivalency within educational institutions.

Paragraph On Ragging- 200 Words For Classes 6, 7, 8 Students

Ragging, a current issue in numerous educational institutions, refers to the act of seniors or aged scholars subjugating new scholars to colorful forms of importunity, demotion, and abuse. It’s frequently seen in sodalities and universities, particularly during the original days when freshers join the institution. Ragging is driven by the desire to establish dominance, produce a sense of scale, or simply as a means of recreation for the seniors. still, this practice has mischievous goods on the victims and the overall lot terrain.

Ragging creates a hostile and poisonous atmosphere for the beginners, causing them immense physical and cerebral torture. The victims are frequently subordinated to verbal abuse, physical violence, forced tasks, and demotion in front of others. similar gests can have long- lasting impacts on their tone- regard, internal well- being, and academic performance. numerous scholars suffer from anxiety, depression, and trauma as a result of ragging, and some indeed contemplate tone- detriment or self-murder.

To attack this issue, educational institutions must take strong measures to help and address ragging. Strictanti-ragging programs should be in place, and mindfulness juggernauts should be conducted to educate scholars about the consequences of ragging. Seniors should be encouraged to be instructors and guide the beginners rather than engaging in vituperative geste . It’s pivotal to establish support systems, similar as comforting services, for victims to seek help and for strict action to be taken against perpetrators. By creating a safe and inclusive terrain, educational institutions can insure that every pupil feels reputed, valued, and free from the fear of ragging

Paragraph On Ragging- 250 to 300 Words for Classes 9, 10, 11, 12 And Competitive Exams Students

To attack this issue, educational institutions must take strong measures to help and address ragging. Strictanti-ragging programs should be in place, and mindfulness juggernauts should be conducted to educate scholars about the consequences of ragging. Seniors should be encouraged to be instructors and guide the beginners rather than engaging in vituperative geste . It’s pivotal to establish support systems, similar as comforting services, for victims to seek help and for strict action to be taken against perpetrators. By creating a safe and inclusive terrain, educational institutions can insure that every pupil feels reputed, valued, and free from the fear of ragging.

Ragging is a dangerous practice that tarnishes the educational experience for numerous scholars. It causes physical and cerebral detriment, disrupts academic progress, and violates the principles of respect and quality. To combat ragging effectively, amulti-faceted approach involving educational institutions, legal fabrics, mindfulness programs, and pupil participation is necessary. By working together, we can produce a safe and nurturing terrain that fosters growth, literacy, and collective respect among scholars.

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Paragraph On Ragging (FAQs)

Question 1. What should I do if I come a victim of ragging?

Answer: Still, it’s important to seek help incontinently, If you come a victim of ragging. Reach out to trusted faculty members, theanti-ragging commission, or helpline figures handed by your institution. Flash back, you aren’t alone, and support is available.

Question 2. Are there any specific laws against ragging?

Answer: Yes, numerous countries have specific laws and regulations against ragging. These laws aim to discourage ragging and put severe penalties on malefactors. Familiarize yourself with the laws in your country and understand your rights as a pupil.

Question 3. How can I contribute to precluding ragging as a elderly pupil?

Answer: As a elderly pupil, you have a responsibility to produce a positive and inclusive terrain. Drink new scholars warmly, chorus from engaging in or promoting ragging conditioning, and report any cases of ragging to the authorities. Lead by illustration and be a probative tutor to your inferiors.

Question 4. Is ragging only limited to physical abuse?

Answer: No, ragging can take colorful forms, including physical, verbal, internal, and cyber abuse. It’s essential to fete and address all forms of ragging, as they can have inversely dangerous goods on the victims.

Question 5. How can educational institutions promote mindfulness about ragging?

Answer: Educational institutions can promote mindfulness about ragging through shops, forums , and exposure programs. They can also includeanti-ragging modules in the class, conduct regular comforting sessions, and establish a strong support system for victims.

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977 words essay on ragging in educational institutions in India

The Supreme Court defined ragging in following words: “Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by all act which has the effect of teasing, treating with rudeness any other student indulging in rowdy or indiscipline activities which causes or likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychologi­cal harm or to raise fear of apprehension thereof ill a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such students will not do in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student. “

The apex court has taken into consideration, while defining ragging all kinds of acts faced by a fresher or a junior while subjecting to ragging by the seniors. Ragging has become a menace, cause of fear and shock not only for a fresher but to his parents too who are sending the loved ones for pursuing higher education by investing a lot of hard earned money. Several intellectual youth have become the martyr of ragging, some have suffered a nervous breakdown, some left the institutes after being suffered of ragging, some have` committed suicide and some were murdered by the seniors on the pretext of ragging.

The court, the authorities, the principal and every concern, have described the ragging a heinous practice, but a very paradoxical situation is, it still persists in spite of all the rules, regulations and directives of courts, and authorities. None could claim to have stopped it 100%.

The most gruesome incidence of ragging came into light in Nov. 1986, when Navarasu a 17 year old first year medical student of Annamalai University, Chidambaramin Tamil Nadu, was brutally, murdered by a senior named ‘David” who was said to be a Karate expert. He killed Navarasu because he refused to submit to his whims of ragging.

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In Aug. 2003, an engineering student of Engineering College Jalpaiguri in West engalwas admitted to hospital after he was subjected to night long brutal ragging this seniors. The victim was beaten up with iron rods and cycle chains for refusing to strip before the seniors.

In Aug. 2003, itself, IIT Delhi expelled five senior students for they were found in ragging of a fresher who left the college after being ragged by these seniors. the same month a student of Pune Institute quit, just a few days after joining it in July due to the same reason of being subjected to inhumane ragging.

The governments ,Central as well as States, have taken positive steps again to stop this practice. In 1997, the HRD Minister, Mr. S.R. Bommai, apprised the Rajya Sabha that steps were being taken to ensure that those found guilty of ragging can be treated as guilty of gross misconduct and subsequently, the penalty of rustication or removal from the rolls of the universities could be imposed on the offenders. He also informed in the house that instruction have been issued to the universities, and institutions and the State Governments to take stern action to curb this menace and Ii invoke the provisions of law needed.

A few years ago, the Governor of Kerala, promulgated the “Kerala Prohibition Of Ragging Ordinance” seeking to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in State. The ordinance inter alia provides dismissal of a student from the education’ institution, who found indulged in acts of ragging and that student is to be fur! debarred for taking admission in any other educational institute for five years from date of order of such dismissal.

The Supreme Court while dealing a public interest litigation in 2001 said! ‘failure to prevent ragging by the management would mean an act of negligence in maintaining discipline in the institution. The Principal and other authority be liable to face action in case a student is subjected to ragging’. The Supreme Court further directed that “If an institution fails to curb ragging the U GC/ fun ‘ agency may consider stoppage of financial assistance to such an institution such time it implements the anti ragging norms”. A University may consider disaffiliating a college or institution that fails to curb ragging the court administered a clear warning. Though the Supreme Court has also issued very strict and strict guidelines to curb the menace of ragging yet a point to ponder is why the students to such heinous practice, after all these so called seniors are also from a decent and belongs to the intellectual group of students of the nation.

Why do few resort to such socially unacceptable behavior? Why the so called seniors do not understand the problems of their own juniors and subjecting then to such intolerable inhumane acts?

A serious thought if given to the above questions, we find that our P education system is intended to create intelligentsia, but they are absolutely I the moral and ethical values. We do not teach our students, philanthropic and values. There is no place for ethics in our education, we are just teaching them materialistic values importance of money. Result has become meaningless, alone the students are to blame, for such acts? Teachers and parents are also responsible for they are unable to cultivate in a good citizen. Academic qualification alone is of no value. If education does not teach students to share the problem others to love all serve all, it would become meaningless.

It shall be important to quote the following words of a great thinker that

If money is lost, nothing is lost

If health is lost, something is lost.

If character is lost, everything is lost.

To stop the menace of ragging it is but necessary to inculcate among the students, importance of good character, importance of love and affection towards their juniors and fellow beings.

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Short Speech on Ragging in English for Students and Children

Table of Contents

3 Minute Speech on Ragging for School and College students

Good morning to our Respected Principal, teachers, and my dear friends. As we all have gathered today to celebrate this occasion, I would like to draw your attention towards an important issue rising these days in many organizations. I would like to speak on the topic- Ragging.

Ragging means abusing, humiliating or harassing the new entrants in a high school, college or any other institutes and organizations. This practice shakes the confidence of new students entering the new organization.

Sometimes this practice is done very lightly and in a friendly way where it is used for introducing each other. This way it creates a friendly atmosphere for the new people. But if this practice is done harshly by embarrassing someone or making someone do something beyond his or her will, then it becomes a matter of punishment.

The Supreme court of India has defined ragging as, ‘Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any student, indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities. It causes annoyance, hardship, psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student.

Ragging is banned as sometimes it becomes so severe that it leads to physical injuries and development of fear of psychosis. If any one faces ragging anywhere, he/she should inform the head of the institution in order to control this act. One should not tolerate this violation of human rights.

In the end, I would like to say that I am very happy to be a part of this reputed school where I have never witnessed ragging. Instead, I have always found my seniors as a guiding light and very supportive of anything we want to learn from them. I hope you never face such an unkind act in your life and in case you do, now you know what you should do.

Thank you very much.

Questions on Ragging

What are the effects of ragging.

The victims suffer depression, isolation, demoralisation, deterimental effect on personality. Constant fear and tension in the mind of every students led to poor performance in curriculum.  There are also the case of suicide due to ragging.

How can we stop ragging?

Ragging is a offence and punishable under various laws. Here few suggestion how to stop ragging in campus.

College Management should follow the stringent rules, faculty should be vigilant, there should be committee where one can file complain. There should be awarness programmee to discourage this culture.

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Essay On Ragging For Students In Easy Words – Read Here

If you are a student or an alumni of some college or university and do not know about ragging, then you must have to read this article. Ragging is one of the many forms of indiscipline in educational institutions where students lose their dignity and fail to measure up to the standard of their peers. And it is because of this that many students are not able to do well in their studies. So the question is how to get rid of this. Here it is possible to do total revolution in the life of ragging. There are several ways to do this. First of all, you have to read about this in the newspaper or do some research on the internet and see what is happening in universities of repute. You will then have to

Ragging is a traditional ritual that takes place among students in junior colleges and polytechnics since students are not allowed to leave college areas. It is a traditional practice to highlight students’ lack of knowledge and to make them feel ashamed of their educational shortcomings. Students are made to participate in roasting sessions where they are made fun of.

Ragging or Ragging is a term used for a series of rituals performed by students of a college or university. These rituals usually involve the creation of a public nuisance and acts of humiliation. The term is derived from the Hindi word ‘rajaju’, which means ‘to tear’ or ‘to tear open’. The word Ragging is most often used in the Indian context to describe the act of bullying, the practice of bullying other students. It is highly unethical and in many cases illegal, and involves the deliberate creation of a public nuisance.

Ragging is a word used to describe the behavior of students in schools and universities. It refers to senior students at a college harassing younger college students for their own amusement. This ragging of students is performed in many nations with higher educational institutes, and it is mainly done on younger students by their seniors in these Universities and Institutions.

The college seniors attempt to embarrass or harass the younger students who are fresh to the institution. They also use harsh language and order them to perform work that is similar to harassment for them. They also subject junior pupils to physical abuse. The ragging of junior students is usually done for the amusement of older students, however it is very hazardous for a student since it may result in death.

Torture and Its Consequences

Mostly, this ragging is done in Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. However, these ragging systems are practiced by students in countries such as America, and all over, and this ragging should be controlled by the governments of these countries for the welfare of their students.

. The Torture that Senior Students Inflict on Junior Students There are many tortures that junior students must endure, such as being ordered to change their dress code and dress as their opposite sex, or being fooled and verbally tortured by their seniors, and as a result, the ragging system can affect the minds of junior students, making them feel as if they g

Organization that fights ragging

Ragging is a practice that is practiced in various nations, including India. Many highly educated institutes are being developed in India, as well as many engineering and medical colleges, and most raggings are taking place in this field because many students prefer to go to higher institutes to further their education, but in these institutions, there are many senior students who like to ragg the junior and new students, and so because of this, most raggings are taking place in this field.

As a result, the government has established a number of anti-ragging NGOs to ensure the safety of students. It has been noted in India that ragging has resulted in approximately 11 to 12 deaths in the last eight years, and as a result, the government has taken action against ragging and a number of NGOs have been established. This anti-ragging hotline is for students who have been ragged or coerced to contact and complain about the ragging, and the government would take action against those who are ragging their juniors.

Many universities have been looking at this since anti-ragging groups have emerged in India, and older students have been prevented from ragging their younger peers, perhaps saving the lives of many people.

You may post any additional questions regarding Essay On Ragging in the comment section below.

This is a very simple topic, and you can easily research it on the net. But in case, this is the only aspect that you want to go in depth with it, so you can read this by following the given topic: Ragging is a very sensitive topic, and it is a prevalent problem today. Many Indian colleges and schools have banned ragging from their premises, but there is a huge possibility of the same happening at your college or school. There are some schools that still practice ragging. Here are some of the main reasons why ragging has to be stopped.. Read more about menace of ragging in college campus essay and let us know what you think.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ragging in simple words.

Ragging is a form of bullying that involves stealing or damaging someones possessions.

What is the ragging essay?

Ragging is a form of bullying that involves students being physically or verbally abused by their classmates.

What is ragging in school?

Ragging is a term used to describe the act of stealing or damaging someone elses belongings. It can also be defined as bullying, harassment, and intimidation.

Related Tags

This article broadly covered the following related topics:

• ragging meaning
• ragging essay
• what is ragging
• types of ragging

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