KAMALIKA PIERIS

An unprecedented number of first year undergraduates have complained that they were abused mentally, physically and sexually in the fresher rag, said Daily Mirror in 2018. We have received detailed accounts from students subjected to ragging. Freshers are humiliated, abused, threatened and physically attacked. However, none were ready to reveal their ordeal, even behind closed doors, fearing retribution. That included those who had graduated, reported Daily Mirror

 Freshers hate the early stages of the university life due to ragging, continued Daily Mirror. The parents of a fresher, a hosteller had been very apprehensive over the frequent complaints of their daughter about ragging. She had on several occasions refused to go back to the university.

In 2018 UGC conducted a survey of university ragging. A considerable number of participants at this survey said that they were harassed as freshers and faced severe mental stress. I suffered a lot said one undergrad. It was depressing. I am fed up with my university life. Filthy language was used to address me. Another undergrad said, I am fed up of life because of the heavy mental pressure. I do not like to talk even. I am experiencing heavy mental pressure. I am afraid to come to the campus. If seniors get to know that I told these things they will kill me.

You Tubers added. ම්ම කොලඹ් විශ්ව විදියාලයෙ 1987, විද්‍යා අංශයෙ , මට තාම මතකයි ම්ට අනිසි කටයුතු කරන්න ඇවිත් මම චැලෙන්ජි කලා මගෙ ඇගට අත තිබ්බොත් තොට මන් කරන දෙ බලා ගනින් කියලා…උන් ම්ට ර්‍ රෑග් කරන්න ආවෙ නැහහැ. එදා ආව නම් මන් උන්ව තියන්නෙ නැහැ කියන අඪිශ්ටාන්‍යෙ හිටියෙ..

ඒ කාලෙ නම් අපේ විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ       colombo Jvp  එකට ලොකුවට රඟන්න දුන්නෙ නැති නිසා අපි නම් පාඩුවෙ ඉගෙන ගත්තා. කවදාවත් මොන පක්ෂෙටවත් කඩේ ගිහින් කැට හොල්ලුවෙ නෑ මම නම්.ඒත් කැළණිය විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයේ සමකාලීනව ඉගෙනගත්තු මගේ ගැහැණු වගේ ම පිරිමි යාළුවො වින්ඳ දුක් කරදර මගේ යාළුවොම මට කියලා තියෙනවා..

There are several rag related deaths in the university . They include  suicides and brutal murders. Some other deaths are suspected to be connected to ragging, said the media in 2016

Here are some unfortunate victims of university ragging. In 1993 Prasanga Niroshana, died as a result of ragging at School of Agriculture, Angunakolapalessa. in 1993 Chaminda Punchihewa died as a result of ragging at the University of Ruhuna In 1997. Kelum Thushara Wijetunge, a first-year student at the Hardy Technical institute in Ampara, died of kidney failure after he was forced to do tough exercises and drink excessive quantities of liquor in 1997 Varapragas a fresher at the Engineering Faculty, Peradeniya  died of physical exhaustion due to ragging,-

In 1997 a first year female student of the University of Ruhuna committed suicide after she was subject to severe sexual harassment. In 2015 a 23-year-old undergraduate of the Sabaragamuwa University committed suicide after suffering mental trauma because she underwent severe ragging.  

 In some instances those ragged end  up in hospital. A student who had been subject to ragging at the Peradeniya University was warded at the hospital in 2017.This received some publicity. In 1998 a science student at Kelaniya lost an eye when the members of the JVP affiliated “Maha Shishya Sangamaya” attacked him. In 2011, a female student attached to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna, became semi-paralysed in one limb as a result of the ragging she underwent at the faculty canteen.

 Three students from the University of Peradeniya were arrested for sexually assaulting a fresher in 2011 . three second year female students of the University of Peradeniya, were charged with ragging a group of female freshers in a toilet. The freshers had been stripped naked during the ragging and forced to perform indecent sexual acts In 2013. The university suspended them for three weeks. The report    stated that,  the victim  was afraid to lodge a complaint, as the university authorities did not take female ragging incidents seriously.

A male student of University of Peradeniya who had been forced to leave the University due to ragging committed suicide in 2014. In another case an Arts Faculty student, a victim of ragging and a witness of sexual  harassment committed suicide within the university premises in 2014 . He was a lead witness in a brutal ragging incident. (Continued)