Death by ragging: A murder most foul

Sri Lanka may be the only country where raggers murder people, particularly University students. In addition to murder there have been a large number of cases of ragging causing deformities, trauma and untold pain of mind. This inhuman behaviour started by some University students, has now spread to schools, armed forces, training colleges, technical institutions, religious institutions and generally everywhere in Sri Lanka. Not only young men and women but even some clergy, unfortunately, resort to it.

Ragging started as a jolly good way of freshers and seniors coming to know each other where both parties enjoyed the fun. This practice came to Sri Lanka from England. In the Sinhala and Tamil traditional educational system there was nothing other than mutual concern, respect and kindness between the novice, the veterans and teachers. Today, the name ragging is used for a system of abuse and torture.

Most seniors at the University do not indulge in ragging and some are positively against it. The compulsive raggers are dangerous ‘criminals in students’ clothing’ and they rag for the following reasons.

1. Subconscious desire to murder: Many consider the newcomers as potential competitors in the job market and they have a latent desire to cause potentially fatal harm.

2. Sexual satisfaction: Some derive sadistic sexual pleasure out of making freshers undress and perform unnatural sexual acts and seeing them cry, writhe and shiver with fear and pain. There have been instances of innocent students committing suicide after getting sexually abused.

3. Inferiority complex: There are students who have a low opinion of themselves due to physical unattractiveness, lack of wealth and/or lack of knowledge of etiquette and other things necessary to be members of the society that they want to get in to. They rag to derive some satisfaction from being able to exercise power.

4. To force freshers to join their cliques through fear: These gangs torture newcomers to subdue them and force them to join their cliques as “slaves”.

5. To take revenge for the torture they suffered from their seniors.

6. To extort money and force victims to provide other favours.

As a result of this inhuman system some have died, some have got crippled and many have become sexually impotent. The vast majority of the victims have got permanent psychological scars and some of them, in turn, become criminal "raggers” who get some consolation by inflicting worse pain on their innocent juniors. In fact, this is a national disaster, an epidemic, a criminal waste of resources and life and a major cause of deterioration of the values and peace in this lovely land.

The philosophy behind criminal ragging is “Might is Right” i.e., the stronger have a right to abuse the weaker. This is the basis of imperialism and slavery. When this kind of thinking is inculcated in people, they tend to use it wherever they go, for example, as teachers, government servants or professionals. Signs of this can be seen at many places where some graduates work, though the majority do not suffer from the shock that long.

Now is the time to free the country from this menace. The people who must take the lead are none other than the present seniors in the Universities. All those who are against this dastardly crime that goes under the misnomer “ragging” – religious bodies, humanitarian organizations, political parties and decent individuals should get together and stand up NOW, before more torture and murder takes place with the new batches of innocent students getting in to the Universities this year.

By Sena B. Buddhadasa, Colombo 4