Call to deal firmly with ragging

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Legal Services Authority (KELSA) Executive Chairman C.N. Ramachandran Nair inaugurated the State-level anti-ragging campaign in professional colleges at the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET) here on Saturday.

College managements should deal firmly and promptly with ragging incidents. The approach had been light so far, he said. There should be initiatives to generate awareness about the consequences of ragging, a criminal offence under the Prevention of Ragging Act, Mr. Nair said.

The presence of the police on campuses was undesirable and the government should extend all assistance to college managements. Students could approach KELSA for free legal aid in ragging cases, he said.

Education Minister M.A. Baby, who presided over the function, listed out the new initiatives that the State government had taken to prevent ragging. This included setting up of departmental committees. The focus was on making the campaign student-centric to ensure their welfare, mental development and academic progress, he said.