Was Big B ragged? Others too !!!
Please read, before you ask us for the stats!
We frequently receive calls from journalists who are in the process of making some report related to ragging. Be in large television channels, regional news channels or the print media, the common query is for the stats!
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How many students have died?
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How many have been injured?
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How many cases have taken place?
Now if such a database exists, how may it be prepared?
Newspapers report 10-14 deaths every year, in India, with a peak of 19.
[ To read about more celebrity victims, and other celebrities talking on ragging, please click here ]
A database may therefore be prepared with the cases reported on the media. Again, another database may be created with the reports / complaints sent to us. The "official" database is with the UGC's Anti Ragging Helpline.
About Media Reports
We don't know about any large-scale epidemiological study being conducted on the ragging situation in India. However, a study published by the U.S. organization, stophazing.org on Hazing in the U.S., revealed that only 5% cases get reported to the institutional authorities.
[Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Mary Madden, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development : “Initial Findings from the National Study of Student Hazing” in Hazing in View : College Students at Risk]
Now, for India, may we assume that this percentage to be poorer, considering our socio-political, and other situations?
In either way, most of these cases are unlikely to be reported to the media. According to the observations made by the Raghavan Committee (please see the original report for details) :
"In none of the interactions did the Committee come across any instance of the educational institutions approaching the police authorities in reporting even the extreme incidents of ragging" (4.02, page 30)
Suicides by students in 2010 : Is there any role of "ragging" ?
Records from the National Crime Records Bureau shows alarmingly high number (5702) of suicides among students of the concerned age group (15-29 yr) in their report, in comparison with the younger (1410) and the older (208) age groups (<14 yr and 30-44 yr respectively). This data is for 2010 alone. It is not known how many of the 5702 suicides are the outcomes of Ragging.
We are eager to know in more details.
About Anti-Ragging Helpline
Leading English daily (Indian), the Telegraph reported (on Oct 17, 20011) that about one lakh students call the helpline, every month, to report a case of ragging. The report states that only a few of them get any response.
[Read the shocking report at their website - NO HELP AT HAND ]