UGC to be notified about complaints of ragging, sexual and gender-based violence
View(s):The University Grants Commission (UGC) has informed all universities and other higher educational institutes under it to send complaints of ragging and sexual and gender-based violence received by their institutions to the UGC.
The UGC instructs university vice chancellors, campus rectors and institute directors to send the complaints on ragging and sexual and gender-based violence received by their institutions, and the immediate actions taken in regard to such complaints, to the UGC Chairman within seven working days of the institution receiving those complaints. In the circular issued this week, UGC Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said the decision was made at the Commission’s meeting held on June 11. He said the ritual of ragging imposes a culture of servility, submission and compliance and many of these incidents are underreported and the perpetrators are not penalised.
“Various ad-hoc measures have been attempted by universities with different levels of success, but they have failed to create a positive and sustained organisational culture that is zero-tolerant of violence,” Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said. (SJ)