Anti-Ragging Committee (ARC) of B. H. College

1. The Anti-Ragging Committee (ARC): An Overview

The Anti-Ragging Committee of the college serves as the supervisory and advisory body of the institution for maintaining a culture of ragging environment. The AntiRagging Committee is tasked with creating an action plan and tactics to reduce the threat of ragging in college by implementing a variety of measures. In B. H. College, anti-ragging measures were in force since the inception of the institution. However, the Anti-ragging cell of the college was formed in the year 2006.

2. Objectives of ARC

The foremost objectives of ARC are:

• To save and shield the student body from being harassed or participating in harassment in the act of ragging.
• To raise students' understanding of the negative impacts of ragging, how it affects human existence, and the repercussions of engaging in ragging.
• To accept the complaints and use the ARC to address them.
• To initiate legal actions, when necessary, in light of the severity of ragging incidents

3. Understanding of Ragging

3.1 The Honourable Supreme Court of India has defined ragging in its landmark judgment in 2001, as “Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any other student, indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do any act or perform something which such student will not in the ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of a fresher or a junior student.”

3.2 In UGC Regulations for Curbing the menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009, ragging is defined as “Any act of physical or mental abuse (including bullying and exclusion) targeted at another student (fresher or otherwise) on the ground of colour, race, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender (including transgender), sexual orientation, appearance, nationality, regional origins, linguistic identity, place of birth, place of residence or economic background.”.

3.3 The Assam Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999 states that ragging—also referred to as hazing or fagging in the west—is illegal. The laws of Assam which, in this context, is regarded as the Law of the Land, defines ragging as, “Either display of noisy or disorderly conduct or doing of any act which causes or is likely to cause social, physical or psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to any student in any educational institution and includes teasing, abusing of, playing practical jokes on or causing hurt to, such students; or asking the student to do any act or perform something which such student will not, in the ordinary course, willingly do.”

3.4 The University Grants Commission in its document “UGC Regulations on Curbing The Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009” has defined ragging as one or more of the following acts.

1. any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher on any other student;
2. indulging in rowdy or indiscipline activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in any fresher or any other student;
3. asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student;
4. any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any other student or a fresher;
5. exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students.
6. any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by students;
7. any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;
8. any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, post, public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to fresher or any other student;
9. any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority 4 or superiority by a student over any fresher or any other student.
10. 1.3.2. The University Grants Commission in the document mentioned at clause 3.1 A has recommended certain measures to be adopted by Universities. We, at Tezpur University are bound to implement these measures in strict compliance, in letter and spirit.

4. Formation of ARC

The Anti Ragging Committee of the college for the academic session 2024-25 has been formed as under:

Co-ordinator	Bimal Basumatary, Assistant Professor, Deptt. of Political Science
Members	Pravat Choudhury, Prof. in-charge, BHCSU
	Promod Borah (Superintendent, Men’s Hostel)
	Dr. Rabinjyoti Khataniar (Superintendent, Women’s Hostel)	8011068292
	Moon Das
	Dr. Shahjahan Ali
	Dr. Bhabananda Debnath
	Dr. Amrit Paul
	President, B.H. College Students’ Union
	General Secretary, B.H. College Students’ Union

5. Duties of ARC

The Anti Ragging Committee of the college would take up the following measures to prevent ragging.

• Vigilance across the campus, especially in the hostels, canteens, and student’s common rooms at all times, including unusual hours.
• Arrangement and conduct of joint sensitization programmes to counsel new-comers and old students.
• Organizing and participating in "ice breaking" activities with both new and returning students in the hostels and other locations.
• Occasional dining with the boarders in the hostels to instill confidence among the newcomers.
• Monitor and direct the working of Hostel Level Anti Ragging Cells which consist of student volunteers from all categories within the particular hostel.
• Perform anonymous, randomized surveys among new students to verify if there are any instances of harassment on campus.
• Any other activity the Anti Ragging Committee consider fruitful for maintaining a ragging free campus.

6. Anti Ragging Squad (ARS)

The Anti Ragging Squad of the college under the Chairmanship of the Principal and members taken from faculty members, Hostel Management and Student’s Union would take up the following measures to prevent ragging. The names and mobile numbers of the members are attached in this document.

• All hours vigilance, all around the Campus, particularly in the hostels during odd semester.
• Organizing and executing sensitization campaigns to offer guidance to both returning and first-year students.
• Organizing and participating in "ice breaking" activities with both new and returning students in hostels and other locations.
• Occasional dining with the boarders in the hostels to instill confidence among the newcomers.
• Keep an eye on and oversee the operations of the hostel's anti-ragging cells, which are manned by volunteer students from all backgrounds.
• Conduct anonymous random surveys among freshers to check whether the Campus is indeed free from ragging.
• Anything else that the Anti-Ragging Committee assigns to the Anti-Ragging Squad.

7. Hostel Level Anti Ragging Cells (HLARCs)

The Hostel Level Anti Ragging Cells (HLARCs) are formed with student volunteers serving as members and the hostel superintendent serving as the chairperson. All of the members' names and phone numbers are conspicuously displayed in a few locations throughout the hostel. The Anti Ragging Committee or Anti Ragging Squad's directions must be followed by cells at the hostel level. The Cells will organize "ice breaking" activities, look for hidden skills among the arrivals, and help each freshmen comprehend the university's and the hostel's policies and customs. At the local level, it is their duty to stop and report any instances of ragging.