- Say “no” to seniors if you find what is being asked of you is unacceptable.
- Stand by a fellow student who is facing coercion from any senior so he or she musters the courage to protest.
- Take recourse to the institute’s anti-ragging mechanism without any hesitation.
- Shed the archaic idea that mild ragging is “cool” as it helps a newcomer become smart.
These were some of the lessons for a group of first-year students at Jadavpur University who attended an anti-ragging orientation session on Wednesday.
Teachers and mental health experts spoke to them about how they should react if they are subjected to ragging.
A first-year JU student died last month after he was allegedly ragged at the JU Main Hostel.
Wednesday’s session, attended by first-year BSc students, was held at the university’s Triguna Sen Auditorium.
Among those who addressed the gathering was Megha Rathi, a clinical psychologist.
Rathi told the students that it was of utmost importance that a newcomer said “no” to any unacceptable demand from a senior student, be it at a hostel or on the campus.
Saying ‘no’ is important, she said. “This mindset needs to be developed. Any conduct of a senior student that borders on coercion constitutes ragging and this cannot be accepted,” Rathi said.
Rathi later told Metro that lending support was crucial so one could steer clear of what is called the “bystander effect”.
The bystander effect, she explained, occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation, against a bully or during an assault. “It is also a must that a student gets rid of the archaic mindset that a little bit of ragging is ‘cool’ or given on the campus or at the hostel as this helps a newcomer smarten up” she said.
This newspaper had on August 22 carried the picture of a graffiti in the stairway of the main hostel — where the first-year student who died stayed — which showed how life at the hostel transformed a timid cat into a tiger.
Debasish Pal, officiating dean of students, said students must go through copies of the papers containing details on the newly constituted anti-ragging squad and the anti-ragging committee so they can approach the platforms during an emergency.
“Please approach these groups whenever in trouble,” said Pal.
Officiating vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau addressed the students who attended the session.