Anti-ragging law in offing in UP

Lucknow, Oct 1 (UNI) Concerned over the recent spurt in the incidents of ragging in various educational institutions, Uttar Pradesh government is preparing to come out with an anti-ragging law.

As the state legislature was not in session, the government was likely to bring in an ordinance in this regard, official sources told UNI here.

With educational institutions, particularly the private engineering and medical colleges, mushrooming in the most populous state of the country, the need to put an effective check on the ragging activities was being felt for quite long.

The proposed draft of the ordinance was being prepared keeping in mind the recommendations of a high-level central committee headed by former CBI Director P N Raghavan about anti-ragging steps which should be taken by the educational institutions, the sources said.

In a state like UP, the anti-ragging measures were limited to few provisions of CrPC and IPC guided by certain Government Orders(GOs) issued from time to time. ''This would be the first time that a comprehensive law would be enacted to take care of this aspect,'' they said.

The proposed provisions would debar the students found indulging in ragging from taking admissions in any educational institutions for five years. Action on the head of the institutions was also proposed if he is found abetting or neglecting the act of ragging.

During the current session, various incidents of ragging have been reported in the state, some of which even led to suicides and other extreme consequences.

UNI