Exclusive: NUJS Kolkata banned a third-year student from representing the college in external activities this academic year, after a first-year student alleged he was ragged by his senior.
It is understood that the first-year student and his parents had complained in July, just after the start of the academic year, claiming that the senior had pressured the junior into bringing him food and making unnecessary speeches.
On receiving the junior’s complaint, an inquiry was started by NUJS vice chancellor professor Ishwara Bhat and three faculty members. However, in August the junior withdrew his complaint after the senior apologised to him in writing.
The inquiry committee nevertheless continued its investigation of the incident and decided to take exemplary measures against the student, confirmed Bhat.
Bhat commented: “It was not a serious case. Only one student was subjected to this [punishment]. Actually that is the mildest punishment we are prescribing. It is possible to impose a very severe punishment, so many other things could’ve been done but they did it as a kind of positive interaction so we decided this.”
Last month Legally India wrote about the prevalence of ragging, which is often garbed as “positive interaction”, in law schools.
Allegations of an incident of ragging at NUJS were first made in July this year on Legally India’s forums.
Earlier this month NUJS appointed a student counsellor.
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What is positive interaction??? Ragging is ragging. there are strict laws against ragging and the law makes no exception for "positive interaction"
Whatever happened to reasonability and logic.
PS- Dear Anon, I am pretty sure your someone from NUJS itself and you cannot digest this new article. Oops..or may be your a junior who is made to write this on behalf of a senior on the pretext of "positive interaction". lol
Till then all hail some brilliant bloggers from this college who enticed me to join this college over a much better one.
And what he did? He told him to get food? THIS IS INSANE!
And the Registrar and the VC are the biggest studs that this university has ever experienced. I must say!
b) Do you think that the only thing this person did was to ask in a very nice tone - 'please get me food from the stall outside, here is the money?' If the junior went to the extent of reporting, does it not strike you that there was a lot more than polite talking/ light banter?
b) Yes, that was the only polite thing he did...just to put rest to your presumptions. Have I made myself clear?
Too much is being made out of nothing. Really, nothing.
Quoting The Truth:
Go do something in your life!
Do you think these kind of stories make your website interesting? A very good example of misleading and preposterous media reports!
As for that someone 'dude, get a life and be at least bold enough to use your own name'
This is concerning NUJS student's involvement in the ragging case. I think you should refrain from publishing these kind of stories. As far as I know, this senior student is very good in academics and has always been in good books of our fellow faculty members. I ask you-Is it the right form of journalism? Should you present only one side of the story? I have been personally involved in this whole episode and i know exactly what happened there. This senior students has an exemplary record. So I opine that you should present the other side of the story too. Otherwise, it is nothing but bad journalism.
Also, facts are wrong. This same order of punishment has come out against TWO third year students and TWO fifth year students. So please check before publishing these factually incorrect reports.
best,
Faculty Member, NUJS.
I repeat - does having an exemplary academic record give you the 'permission slip' for ragging juniors?
Also, while I finished law school a long time ago, I can assure you that no junior complains in writing if the only thing asked for in 'harmless interaction' is getting food, in a decent enough manner... My view-point:
a) LI is definitely the forum to discuss the serious issues of ragging and student suicides;
b) One side of story - in fact, I think LI is presenting an unfair picture because the 'ragging' act has been only discussed to the extent of getting food !!
c) Wrong facts - the fact that at least 4 students have been punished means that there are a 'lot' of 'harmless interactions' ... would you care to put out the facts here (no names needed) of were all asking only for food?
Quoting Faculty Member, NUJS:
If you dont evem know the difference censorship and correct reporting, it just shows the falling standards of the general awareness. I dont wish ti argue against ignorant people.
best,
Faculty Member, NUJS.
Whether you want to argue or not is your choice ... but if you do respond, take time to respond to my comments -against my nickname.
Best,
S
1. Wasim Iqbal case- The way Registrar handled it was really bad..who does he think he is? He thinks that he can say whatever he wants to? We are thinking of writing a complaint to Mamata Banerjee..
2. The ragging case-"Exemplary punishment"- What about when [...] You talk about rules? Eh please! Let's not allow us to wash your dirty linen in public?
3. [...] Where did the rules go,sir?
So, this is mal-administration and needs to be checked. These two people are ruining our college..and dare you say anything useless against our dear batchmate who's won accolades for your university!
Shame on the administration! [...]
However, one has to remember that the punishment has to be proportional
Which one is it?
and how many incidents are sufficient for you to expel the guy?
You please decide what do you want to convey.
NUJS needs to brush up on its teaching of media law.
Second that! I do not know what was Kians fault in reporting ragging and that too in a law school. All the ones arguing against might just be his friends or the friends are right now "allegedly ragging" juniors to post such comments. lol I think NUJS really needs to brush up their students IQ and awareness of law. This again shows the falling and degrading standards of NUJS. Brush up media law? I am pretty sure the NUJS students are ordering food from juniors RIGHT NOW! lol..
It's good.. The future "pass-outs" of NUJS would make good waiters if not lawyers. They are already seeking an alternative path after pathetic placements this year and are training their juniors for the same. Oops... I now know why the whole act was "alleged ragging". It was in fact future training. ;)
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
-Albert Einstein
I think you haven't yet replied to my previous comment. I really think you should investigate the whole matter again and contact the right people in the administration to let you know the veracity of the facts. Hearsays don't really make stories. Apart from this brilliant third year student who has been unfortunately targeted, there were other third years and fifth years who have been involved and punished. So, if at all, you have to report this...you should really investigate the matter thoroughly and rectify this report.
Regards,
Faculty Member, NUJS.
Thanks for your comment - yes, we are investigating further and may publish an update if appropriate.
Best regards,
Kian
At least use Anon while saying such things instead of trying to pose as a faculty member before saying such things! "Brilliant third year student" indeed! :D
Quoting Faculty Member, NUJS:
It is good to have the FACULTY MEMBER, NUJS as a GUEST to put down his comments.
One question to the FACULTY MEMBER ---
Why you had been silent when glaring illegalities were happening in NUJS?
Are you a FACULTY MEMBER in NUJS to protect LEGAL EDUCATION or to protect ILLEGAL EDUCATION?
Why don't you come forward with a WHITE PAPER on the matter that has happened in NUJS during Prof. M.P. Singh as VC?
Don't say that you don't know anything.
Be honest to yourself and your LEGAL EDUCATION.
I know for a fact that even two fifth years have been banned and then there's another third year who has been expelled from the hostel. Are these harsh punishments even called for? That too when both the victim and the accused persons have kissed and made up? Why is the administration encouraging hostility in the hostel?
Kian, come up with the expulsion part of it. Let them see what you have to pay for ragging. Why hasn't Legally India come out with the expulsion part of it? That is called punishment. Kian, please appreciate NUJS for expelling a student and taking a strict action.
Working 14,000 km from Kolkata I was not at the scene of the incident. But obviously something did happen, and it obviously affected the junior student sufficiently for him to go complain. And certainly the university did conduct an investigation and obviously there must have been some degree of truth to what he alleged for such action to be meted out. I know how administrations run, given a choice they will prefer not having negative publicity. So I don't believe for a moment that it was "harmless talk" or "Casual teasing"or any shit like that.
Ragging is a serious problem (not only in NUJS) and universities must show zero tolerance of anything approaching it. During my LL.M., I observed that the JD class seniors were extra careful not to pick on the freshmen and even some incidents like forcing a song or a drink could result in suspension. Further, I think the message to go light on punishment on account of mooting record, etc. is utter hogwash. No student can expect leniency due to these factors and moot courts are not a substitute for character building. Seems to me this guy got off lightly; Prof Menon would have suspended him from hostel, possibly barred him for a longer term and threatened (thought not carried out) expulsion.
Lastly, I don't know which faculty member would be silly enough to ask for censorship, if at all it is a faculty member. He or she should instead work towards building up a culture of trust in the university. Oh for the good old days!
I am commenting on this as I have been closely involved in the investigations. I know the system more than you and I also know that how administration in NUJS is being run. Shabby and undemocratic as ever. And for you, who has no involvement or doesn't know the alpha beta of whatever has happened here, please refrain from making unnecessary comments.
People who were biased, frustated, inert and thinking that just because they were so called faculty, they were the epitome of gentlemen / ladies..
Please stop this mess and resign and go into exile if you have any shame
I am a strong believer that there should be not the slightest chance of ragging. And if that means being a bit extra strict, so be it. Of late the unhealthy NLSIU type culture has pervaded into NUJS and that needs to be nipped in the bud.
It doesnt take an einstein to figure that there was definitely some incident for the admin to react in this manner.
haha hahah.. and people thought in law schools only students are captured like so.. noojie faculty excels in all respects ...
it is a miracle that we survived despite the shitty faculty, the administration, the registrar and even the bloody red qualis that used to hang around the joint..
admin should get a life and kick some sense into these chappies. Otherwise, even the potholes will have a brighter future than these folk
You are old and be contended that. You really do not have friggin' idea of what's going on NUJS. Its hell as ever. The administration is going berserk. So, leave that utopian idea that 'something must have happened and so on'. Nothing did really happen.
One fails to understand why Professor Ishwara Bhat is not moving forward on the all the illegalities that has happened in NUJS during Prof. M.P. Singh as VC. Is he trying to protect Prof. M.P. Singh?
allowing people to booze inside hostel,
turning a blind eye to doping,
allowing students to take exams despite lack of attendance, allowing students to copy in the exams
promoting students to fifth year despite 16 backlogs
awarding gold medal to a student who passed a paper in his second attempt
allowing ragging to go on despite complains
for all the wonderful infrastructure available in academic block and the hostels
passing students who have 35 marks in a subject by transferring marks from a subject he has passed
for evaluating students projects based on moot memorials and law review articles that are totally unrelated to that subject
- vastly exaggerating the infrastructure, esp in the early days
- permitting a well known kleptomaniac who showed some moot court promise to stay (and not expel him) (bizarrely he expelled another non-mooting student on the same ground)
- selecting students for international exchange programs without any scientific basis
- pretty much stifling healthy debates over important administrative decisions
- again, being overly generous granting attendance waivers for students on a discretionary basis
Whats the point of this? That decisions like these, guided by gut feeling and arbitrariness can and do help in quick and effective decision making but can be very frustrating for students, especially those who who work hard and play by the rules.
In fact the culture of arbitrary decision making and favoritism has become so entrenched in the system that some idiots tend to think that it is a matter of right that they should pass in all the exams even if they have written whole lot of crap! One such idiot announced that he cannot believe how 16 out of 18 students appearing in the repeat exam failed despite taking up the exam (Occasion being the condolence meeting in NUJS). Bloody opportunist!
Hope someone investigates how some law school students are promoted and awarded degrees!
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