NHRC flags medical colleges as ragging hotspots: 38.6 percent cases despite 1.1 percent student share

New Delhi: Identifying medical colleges across India as the hotspots for ragging, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently said that despite having only 1.1 percent of the total student population in the country, medical colleges account for 38.6 percent of ragging incidents. NHRC made this observation during an 'Open House Discussion' on anti-ragging laws in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in India. The meeting was chaired by NHRC Chairperson, Justice V Ramasubramian, and it was held at Manav Adhikar Bhawan, New Delhi, where the issue of 'Re-examining Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions: Creating Safer Campuses through awareness, accountability and action' was discussed. Highlighting the unchanged enforcement to curb instances of ragging in higher educational institutions, Ramasubramanian said, "There should be stronger monitoring mechanisms to stop ragging in its various manifestations. There is a need to enforce statutes, greater sensitivity in handling complaints and strict anonymity for complainants to ensure victims' protection and justice." He also opined that in spite of an abundance of laws, statutes, committees, and regulations such as the 2001 guidelines, the RK Raghavan Committee, and the 2009 UGC regulations, the anti-ragging enforcement remains a major challenge. Also Read: Forced to salute, sit on floor, beaten up! 5 interns of Nizamabad Medical College allegedly booked for ragging MBBS student 38.6% Ragging Incidents from Medical Colleges: As per the latest media report by Careers 360, during the meeting, NHRC Secretary General Shri Bharat Lal mentioned that as per the government data, medical institutes are the hotspots for ragging, accounting for 38.6% of incidents, even though they have only 1.1% of the total population in India. Another senior member, the joint secretary of NHRC, Samir Kumar, pointed out that there was a prevalence of caste-based ragging in certain parts of the country. Referring to this, he highlighted the need for inclusive and targeted interventions. Measures suggested by NHRC to curb ragging: Released on March 24, International Right to Truth Day, the report titled ‘State of Ragging in India 2022-24’ highlighted an alarming trend that demands immediate intervention. According to the report, 3,160 complaints were registered on the National Anti-Ragging Helpline. Of these, 51 students died in 2022-24. Medical colleges accounted for 23 out of 51 deaths (45.1%) The top 5 Medical Colleges, being in the spotlight for ragging in India, received the most complaints at the National Anti-Ragging are the MKCG Medical College And Hospital, Odisha with 25 Complaints, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College Raipur, Chhattisgarh, with 15 complaints, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences Pavapuri, Bihar with 14 complaints, State Takmeel-Ut-Tib College & Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with 12 complaints and Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi with 11 complaints.