A report has shown that 51 students lost their lives due to ragging in Indian universities and colleges between 2022 and 2024. This number is nearly as high as the 57 student suicides recorded in Kota, Rajasthan, during the same time. The findings come from the ‘State of Ragging in India 2022-24’ report, published by the Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE).
The report, based on 3,156 ragging complaints registered through the national anti-ragging helpline, highlighted troubling trends, with medical colleges standing out as major problem areas.
Medical colleges account for most complaints.
According to the report, medical colleges made up 38.6% of all ragging complaints, 35.4% of serious cases, and 45.1% of ragging-related deaths, despite representing just 1.1% of India’s student population. This means medical students are far more likely to experience ragging compared to students in other courses.
“Medical colleges report 30 times more ragging incidents relative to their number of students compared to the overall student population,” the report said. Many ragging cases go unreported.
The report also pointed out that the 3,156 complaints recorded by the anti-ragging helpline are just the tip of the iceberg. Many students report incidents directly to their colleagues or the police instead of the helpline.
“All such cases fail to get reflected in numbers available at the anti-ragging helpline, and hence in this report,” the report stated. It further added that many students suffer in silence, afraid to speak up due to concerns about their safety.
To encourage more students to report ragging without fear, the report recommended that the anti-ragging helpline should start accepting anonymous complaints. This would protect victims’ identities and help them feel safer when coming forward.
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