All India Council of Technical Education issues directives to curb ragging

BHOPAL: Adopting stringent measures to curb ragging in engineering and technical institutes, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has issued fresh directives including mandatory submission of affidavit by the students. The new guidelines will be applicable from the upcoming session. According to the new directives issued by the apex body for technical institutes in the country, students and their parents will have to submit an affidavit mentioning that the students would not be involved in any form of ragging. "It is a good step taken by AICTE. It will help in curbing the menace in a bigger way. The affidavit will keep students away from ragging incidents," spokesperson of Madhya Pradesh Association of Technical and Professional Institutes, B S Yadav said. Students living in hostels will have to submit two affidavits. "Hostellers will have to submit the affidavit mentioning that they would abide by the rules on anti-ragging. They also have to submit an affidavit stating the same about the hostel. Students will have to mention categorically that they would not be involved in ragging in the hostel," Yadav said. The technical institutions and engineering colleges have been also asked to display specifically the anti-ragging measures at the entry and exit gates of the institutes. "Institutes will have to clearly mention the names and numbers of members of the anti-ragging committee. This will help students approach the authorities concerned," Yadav said. In the new guidelines, it has also been mentioned that students found guilty of instigating his fellow students would also be treated guilty. The AICTE launched the anti-ragging drive in 2009. The latest guidelines have been inculcated in the previous guidelines. The new guidelines states that in case engineering colleges and institutions fail to abide by the rule, they might have to face cancellation of their affiliation.