Addressing ragging

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 02:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Another young life has been extinguished. Another family shattered. Once again, the silent menace that has haunted local universities for decades—ragging—has claimed a victim. It is a cruel irony that institutions meant to cultivate knowledge, opportunity, and progress have become breeding grounds for violence, humiliation, and psychological trauma.

Ragging is not a harmless tradition or a misguided rite of passage. It is a crime—plain and simple. And now, it is also a cause of death. For years, we have watched this culture fester in its public universities. Despite repeated incidents and countless survivors who carry invisible scars, meaningful action has been lacking. The latest tragedy must in the very least result in tangible action. It is time to stop treating ragging as a disciplinary issue. It is an act of violence that must be met with the full force of the law.

At its core, ragging stems from a deeply rooted inferiority complex—a psychological rot. Many perpetrators use ragging to exert power where they feel powerless, to assert control where they have none. Rather than embracing the opportunity of free, taxpayer-funded higher education, some students use their privileged position to express social frustrations through abuse. Instead of building bridges across the divides of class, geography, and language, ragging deepens wounds and breeds resentment.

It is true that Sri Lanka’s affirmative action policies allow students from underprivileged and rural areas to enter universities with lower academic scores compared to their urban counterparts. While well-intentioned and necessary to bridge historical inequalities, these policies sometimes contribute to tensions on campus. But the existence of such tension is no excuse for violence. Frustration does not justify torture.

We must be clear-eyed and firm in the Government’s response. Every act of ragging—whether physical, verbal, or psychological—must be treated as a criminal offense. The Government must urgently enact laws that mandate the immediate suspension of students involved in ragging. The Attorney General must pursue prosecution without hesitation. No one who inflicts suffering on another should be allowed to continue enjoying the benefits of a State-sponsored education.

Universities must also bear responsibility. Vice Chancellors, deans, and lecturers must be empowered—and obligated—to enforce zero-tolerance policies. Students must be protected, not silenced or blamed. Whistleblowers must be shielded, not punished.

This is not simply about justice for the latest victim. It is about reclaiming our universities as places of learning and hope—not fear and humiliation. In a country that has endured civil war, economic crisis, and political turmoil, we cannot afford to allow another generation of youth to be brutalised within the very institutions that should uplift them.

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