Creating a safe, inclusive, respectful and supportive ragging-free academic environment across higher educational institutions
The National Ragging Prevention Programme (NRPP) is a nationwide initiative of the Government of India, implemented through the University Grants Commission (UGC), aimed at preventing, prohibiting and eliminating ragging in higher educational institutions. Its principal objective is to create a safe, inclusive, respectful and supportive academic environment in which students can pursue their education without fear of physical, psychological or emotional harassment.
The programme seeks to make India a ragging-free nation through preventive interventions, institutional accountability, awareness generation, effective monitoring and timely redressal of complaints. It emphasizes coordinated participation by educational institutions, students, faculty members, parents, regulatory authorities and law-enforcement agencies.
The programme operates within the framework of the UGC Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009, notified on 17 June 2009, along with subsequent amendments and advisories issued by the UGC. These regulations were framed pursuant to directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and are mandatory for higher educational institutions covered by their provisions.
The major objectives of the National Ragging Prevention Programme are:
To eliminate all forms of ragging, including physical, verbal, psychological, emotional and online harassment.
To safeguard the dignity, personal liberty, physical safety and psychological well-being of students, particularly newly admitted students.
To educate students, parents, teachers and institutional authorities about the consequences of ragging and their respective responsibilities.
To ensure effective implementation of anti-ragging regulations through designated institutional committees and monitoring mechanisms.
To provide students with reliable, confidentially handled reporting channels and prompt institutional responses.
To establish mechanisms for disciplinary and legal action against individuals found responsible for ragging.
To encourage cooperation, mutual respect, mentoring and healthy relationships among students.
Under the UGC Regulations, ragging includes any conduct by a student or group of students that causes or is likely to cause physical injury, psychological harm, fear, humiliation, embarrassment or harassment to another student.
Examples include:
The regulations apply to ragging involving freshers as well as other students, and extend to academic premises, hostels and other places associated with institutional activities.
Higher educational institutions are required to establish appropriate mechanisms for the prevention and control of ragging, particularly:
Responsible for institutional oversight, preventive policies, compliance monitoring and ensuring appropriate action on ragging incidents.
Responsible for vigilance, surprise inspections, monitoring vulnerable areas and responding to reported or suspected incidents.
Provides administrative coordination for implementation, awareness programmes, record maintenance and communication with concerned authorities.
Designated institutional officials who facilitate reporting, coordination and implementation of anti-ragging measures.
Institutions are expected to conduct awareness programmes, orientation sessions, workshops, seminars and counselling activities to educate students about the prohibition of ragging.
Important interventions include displaying anti-ragging posters in prominent locations, publishing warnings in admission materials and providing contact information for institutional and national reporting mechanisms.
Students and their parents or guardians are required to furnish anti-ragging undertakings in accordance with applicable UGC requirements. These declarations affirm their awareness of the regulations and the consequences of involvement in ragging.
The online undertaking facility is accessible through the national anti-ragging portal at www.antiragging.in.
Institutions are expected to strengthen surveillance in hostels, common rooms, canteens, corridors and other potentially vulnerable locations.
Preventive measures include regular inspections, surprise visits, installation of CCTV cameras at appropriate locations and interaction with students to identify emerging concerns.
The programme provides for complaints to be reported through institutional channels and the National Anti-Ragging Helpline.
Institutions must respond promptly, protect affected students, initiate appropriate inquiries and take disciplinary or legal action wherever warranted. Counselling and necessary protective measures should also be made available to students affected by ragging.
These measures are reinforced in the UGC advisory dated 10 June 2025, which calls for strengthened institutional mechanisms, publicity, surveillance and counselling.
1800-180-5522
helpline@antiragging.in
www.antiragging.in
The helpline serves students across India and facilitates communication with appropriate institutional and other authorities for further action.
Ragging is treated as a serious offence and may attract institutional disciplinary action as well as criminal proceedings under applicable law.
Depending on the nature and gravity of the incident and the findings of the inquiry, institutional penalties may include suspension from classes, withholding of scholarships or other benefits, exclusion from examinations, cancellation of admission, expulsion or other sanctions prescribed under the UGC Regulations.
Effective implementation of the National Ragging Prevention Programme requires an institutional approach integrating preventive education, surveillance, student support, administrative accountability and statutory compliance.
For effective implementation across the constituent colleges, hostels and campuses of Assam Agricultural University, the following actions may be considered:
Establish a central coordination mechanism to oversee implementation of anti-ragging regulations across the university and its constituent institutions.
Ensure that each constituent college has appropriately constituted anti-ragging bodies, designated nodal officers and clearly communicated reporting procedures.
The University's student management system may be used to facilitate dissemination of anti-ragging information, maintain institutional compliance records and provide links to the national portal. Any digital complaint-management facility should incorporate role-based access, confidentiality safeguards and clear escalation procedures.
Conduct annual awareness programmes for newly admitted students, senior students, hostel residents, faculty members and non-teaching staff.
Undertake regular institutional reviews covering awareness activities, functioning of anti-ragging committees, effectiveness of complaint mechanisms and implementation of recommended preventive measures.
Effective implementation of the National Ragging Prevention Programme is expected to contribute to:
The National Ragging Prevention Programme represents an important initiative for ensuring student safety, dignity and well-being in higher educational institutions across India. Its effectiveness depends not only on the enforcement of regulations and disciplinary provisions but also on preventive education, continuous monitoring, responsible institutional leadership and active student participation.
For universities, successful implementation requires sustained coordination among academic administrators, faculty members, hostel authorities, students, parents and regulatory agencies. By adopting a comprehensive, preventive and student-centred approach, higher educational institutions can contribute meaningfully to the national objective of establishing ragging-free campuses.