Kasaragod District Police chief calls for stern action against rising ragging incidents

Kasaragod: District Police Chief B V Vijay Bharat Reddy has called for stringent action against incidents of ragging and related violence occurring in schools, colleges and trains. Several cases have already been registered in the district this academic year, involving ragging in schools, student clashes and campus violence.

The Railway Police have registered a case and arrested two individuals in connection with an incident where a teacher was assaulted by students on board a train. Many students from Kasaragod travel daily to Mangaluru for higher education, often using passenger trains. However, what should be a routine commute has become a source of fear for juniors, as ragging by seniors on board trains has become increasingly frequent.

Following rising complaints from parents and passengers, a high-level meeting was convened by the District Police Chief, attended by officials from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Railway Police. District Additional SP C M Devadasan and District Narcotics Cell DySP A Anilkumar were also present at the meeting.

Joint special squads comprising RPF, Railway Police and District Police have begun inspections of trains. A dedicated anti-ragging squad has been formed to monitor trains, educational institutions and public spaces.

Offences carry stringent punishments
Ragging, if proven, is a punishable offence under law and can attract imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of ₹10,000. Institutions that attempt to cover up ragging incidents will be deemed complicit in the offence.

The District Police Chief urged that any complaints related to ragging should be promptly reported through the national anti-ragging helpline (1800-180-5522), local police stations or via email at helpline@antiragging.in. Complaints can also be submitted through the website www.antiragging.in.