19 March, 2024

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Ragging: A Youth Excitement Turned Sadist Ritual

By Ameer Ali

Dr. Ameer Ali

Ragging in the universities of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is an imported Oxbridge tradition from British colonial days. It originated as a week of initiation to new entrants, so that they may socialise with their seniors and get acclimatised to habituating in a new environment of highly motivated young adults. By the time a student qualifies to receive education at tertiary level in these countries that student is at least on the verge of crossing his or her teen years to enter adulthood. Thus ragging as a form of harmless teasing and rough jokes played on new arrivals became a test of social gregariousness without endangering the recipient’s physical and mental traits. At the end of that week of initiation all undergraduates, from the first to the final year, are expected to become a unified community sharing the values of a cultured young elite. This was, in essence, the story of this imported tradition introduced even in the days of the University College at Maradana. Who introduced it is still a mystery. Even the general public tolerated the youngster’s innocent pranks from which they themselves at times had a good laugh.

Today, and tragically, that cherished, harmless and youthful amusement has become a sadist and maniacal ritual causing psychological trauma, physical torture and mental humiliation to freshers. Some of the sordid and morally debased incidents of ragging that had left permanent scars on the lives of dozens of first year students and that had received wider publicity are, in actual fact, symptoms of a cultural and moral sickness untypical of any civilized community. This is not to paint the entire community of undergraduates with the same accusatory brush. However, there seems to be a notable number of uncultured juvenile elements entering universities and other institutes of higher learning, including privenas and surprisingly the security forces, who do not deserve to be there in the first place. The disease has become endemic. How did this come about?    

University education in Sri Lanka, which was once the fortress of an English speaking urban elite, was democratised in the nineteen sixties and made available to all students who were academically qualified to receive it. In the context of the time it was a welcoming change. Language was made no barrier, although without proficiency in English Sri Lankan graduates will find it difficult to enter today’s globalised professional market.  Students from rural areas are now entering in large numbers to more than a dozen state universities partly because of lowered entry requirements. This is where the problem arises. Successive governments started cutting corners to promote their populist agenda. Instead of allocating sufficient resources and concentrated effort to raise the standard of teaching and learning in provincial schools, governments simply adopted the option of lowering entry criteria for university entrance, which enabled even mediocre students have access to higher learning. In order to cater to the intellectual level of these under-achievers even professors had to lower their teaching standard, which consequently deprived the more capable students from getting the best out of university learning. This is a point often misses the attention of policy makers. (I am stating this from personal experience). Over the years, as senior academics retired the new generation of lecturers had to come from a pool of graduates who were not necessarily the best talented academically. No doubt there were brilliant exceptions to this general observation.

However, standard of university education declined as a whole, academic courses became less rigorous and examinations less demanding. Libraries, where undergraduates are expected to read and research transformed into venues for gossip and romance. Students were left with plenty of time to engage in activities totally alien to academic life. For some senior students ragging provided an opportunity to vent their frustration over a prospective vacuous future. To put it bluntly, what does it matter to a student whether he/she spends three, four, five or even six years to complete a general degree when that student is going to be unemployed at the end of it? On the other contrary, if a student could see a promising future at the end of the university career and if that student realises that the opportunity cost of that future becoming costly by prolonging the stay in the university, then that student’s attitude and behaviour is bound to change. As things are now there is an aura of hopelessness among undergraduates in Sri Lanka. Ragging may be one of the expressions of that hopelessness. In this sense, it may be argued that ragging at present is actually a symptom and not the disease.       

Ragging has discouraged many an exceptional student with excellent entry qualifications from entering state universities. Several who entered later dropped out because they did not want to fall victim to this sadist ritual. How can parents who sacrificed everything for the sake of their son or daughter tolerate the child being molested, tortured and harassed by a mob who has no empathy for human feelings?    

In addition to the academic decline there is also a breakdown in student discipline. In this breakdown national politics played a crucial role. Politics is the bane of the country impinging into almost every sector of life. With an explosion of undergraduate population university campuses became recruiting centres for political party foot soldiers. In the competition for party recruitment ragging has become a weapon to be utilised discriminatingly between supporters and opponents. This actually turned ragging into a form of gang war. If leaders of these gangs were taken to task by university authorities their party headquarters from outside brought pressure on the disciplinarians to get their supporters pardoned. If the incident was reported to the police and went to a court of law there again politics entered to rescue the accused. Ragging in this context reflects the general deterioration of law and order in the country.

Can this cancer be eradicated? Not in the immediate term, but certainly in the medium and long term provided fundamental reforms in the nation’s education system are undertaken in order to upgrade the quality of teaching, learning and examining, while university authorities are empowered to tackle indiscipline without interference from political leaders.  In the current state of play both seem to be impossibilities. To start with, how can one expect a parliament populated by representatives, a significant number of whom have not completed even the intermediate level of education successfully, to comprehend the values of higher education and need for reforming the system? Will such representatives have any clue of what university education is all about? Their behaviour in the parliament itself is a kind of ragging. Secondly, even if the minister of education with a team of dedicated civil servants and educationists embark on reform plan, will that minister be able to command enough financial resources from the treasury? True, there was foreign assistance before to improve the quality of higher education but ragging was not an issue seriously considered at that time. Without a willingness to tackle this cancer no reform will yield its desired results. What is needed is a bipartisan commitment on the part of the government and opposition to sacrifice their populist agendas in the interest of future generations and win back not only the nation’s lost prestige in higher education but also create a conducive environment for staff and students in our seats of higher learning.    

Ragging is also an issue closely linked to standards of ethical and moral values embedded in the minds of students at their early stages of education and before entering universities. There seems to be a running deficit in this regard over the years. University students therefore need pastoral care during their undergraduate career. Shouldn’t the leaders of the four major religions in the country contribute to provide this care? If the university authorities are empowered to act independently and free of political interference they would surely open a dialogue with religious leaders.

In spite of all this, if a minority of ruffians continue with their sadist ritual, university authorities should have the power to throw them out of the campus, never to be taken back. If the offence is of criminal nature the offenders should be reported to the police. An overall reformation of the national education system and full independence for universities with adequate disciplinary powers are imperatives for eradicating the cancer of ragging. A commission to investigate the issue of ragging from all perspectives is badly needed and that commission should be guaranteed of political noninterference.                   

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Latest comments

  • 8
    1

    If raggers cannot do it within decent limits might as well ban it completely.

    • 15
      0

      I think prior to 70ties or so, local unis had decent ragging.
      Today, they the raggers have become to criminals. Some of those senior men make every effort to flirt the new girls and find their partners. Most came from rural areas were highly abusive. If they came from Maedawacchchiya were like street thugs.
      These thugs had their own clans within the campuses.

      1). remind me how they bucketed me at Pera. I was fallen sleep, but I ended up in a pond – it was dark and I was not aware of what was going on. The brutal act also could kill me.

      2). We as boys were made naked and commanded us to touch the penises of the other –
      can any one tell me, how can one improve anything by doing the kind of rag items ?

      3). It was an late evening, I was very upset being unable to bear the lonelyness since I started my uni life. However, seniors and their men among freshers put me thrown onto a water tank.. how could this ever been possible, if they had been civiilised ?

      4). These were the days of 89. I left the country and proceeded my studied in abroad.

      How can the kind of brutal acts in RAGGING help improve leadership skills as some Professors publicly explain ?

      • 11
        0

        We had mates they all found their girls by going to give rags .

        So, it seesm that seem toahve turned out to be sexual harassement to this date.

        Media should not give the feeling that Undergraduates can enjoy full free life just because they became Uni students. They should also have some sorta of responsilibites.

      • 1
        0

        to be contd.

        I think rag season at Pera was brutal already at that time ( late 80ties).

        To that time, STUDENTs across the country were hunted by JVP/UNP. University were subjected to close on and on often without further notice. How many times, we had to come and go to the Univeristy. I then left my belonging at Hilda Obeysekara and left the place forever. We were ragged by those abusive SENIORS and again by JVPrs too.
        Looking back I am so happy ot have escaped not being caputred by extrajudicial killiongs which took over 50 k youth across the country.
        After coming to Eruope, I had no time to maintain the frienship further with lanken then mates. But whenever I travelled back home country, I went searching for my mates. Not a single known to me close were found LIVE sofar. Most of them had either been burnt down on tyre pyres or went missing. May also be possible some left the country for escape. Some of them were only son for a family of 5 sisters while others were only sons in their families. The kind of brutalities, I wish nobody to face in this life. THe psychosis we went through in late 80ties was beyond all bearing. The unrest we went through was beyond all explanations.Universities were closed without furhter notices. Anyways, looking back, I feel, JVPrs have learnt a lot from 89 INSURGENCY. Considering how they have in between contributed to lanken politics, I even forgive them today. They deserve to be elected as future leaders in my home country since both UNP and SLFP have proved their inabilities. How many times, they made promises to guilliable people dominated srilanka. Unethical politics of both UNP and SLFP should not abuse the vulnerability of the masses in the developing nation any further. Lankens, partiuclarly are naive and easy targets for getting caught by power intoxicated politicians and their tricks.

    • 1
      0

      I am telling you as to why they various authorities have failed in control of ragging at local Unis – it is just because the attitude of the people is also represented in the universities. Those student organisations show something else., but they are brutal by their thoughts and minds. So even any average thinker would not have the guts to share their own thoughts. Most of the students entering the unis and the ones already in senior levels would not support ragging but people in general be it in UNI or outiside are very passive in SL – they just wage the tail if his neigbouring or by stander would do. If anyone living in the neigbourhood would do something, you too are easily forced to do so, since the society is so structured, else, you would have lost.
      They just follow the other. not thikning twice – if you guys wear pirith threads on your wrists or around your penises, the others too would start wearing it, no matter whatever outcome would result in.
      I see, as no times before, pirith nuulas have become a fashion in modern day srilanka. Some tourists kept me asking about that. They even asked me the meanings of the colours of those threads.
      Rajapaskhse are instead wearing bola mala around their wrists were also questioned by some europeans. I told them, they are said to be wearing some 40 talishments or the like on any body parts – just becasue they are made to believe that all those could prevent them being faced to any dangers. pEOPLE in this country are very stupid.. I mean the majority.

    • 0
      0

      Lanken Ragging is the picture of society.
      People have all various kind of psychological problems.
      The gap between twon and village schools had been much higher then than today.
      In 80ties, if anyone found came from a popular school was attacked in Peradeniya by treating them with all low level ragging events.
      English was banned to anyone during the ragging season. If found you would speak English was attacked by those men – that looked predators in campus life.
      Even among the freshers, they had some sub groups that only worked for their seniors.
      JVP and other left parties were among them – in retrospect, most of them came from poor backgrounds. Poor by every means. FOr me my short campus life was brutal as I was shocked by ragging and many other things that I never thought would have been part of lanken Uni life.
      They become just swollen just being a senior batcha… but in Europe, even if you are a post doc, you have no place.. not today even those days.
      I think as if KUMBIYA CONSIDERS its urine as river (කූම්බියාගෙ මුත්ර ඌට පේන්නෙ ගන්ගාව වාගෙ.)lankens in general think…. even getting selected to an Uni is like life achievement. I really dont know why. They just see only LOCAL MBBS and other degrees are the best in the world. Evne that day s lanken Uni ranks were not high.
      We overestimate our talents. Only us the lankens can do so etc…. songs written by idiotic composers spread lies on our values. Nanda malinis songs were very popular in Pera in 80ties.
      But why should we have been misled that way – was not answered by anyone.
      Student unrest at its hights – some students got killed or commited suicide not being able to face the life. I thnk our people s mind set should change to positivity. May well be lanken buddhism (not buddhism as taught by Lord budda), may have misled our folks.

    • 0
      0

      There can be no ‘decent limit’ to an indecent activity.

  • 3
    3

    we inherited ragging from our british colonial masters a fact unknown to our youth
    just like our judicial system ,our health system and parliamentary system all of which have been failures
    time we left the commonwealthas we receive no benefit from it

  • 8
    0

    ranjan wijeratne tackled the problem in the same way he tacled southern terrorists-eye for an eye tooth for a tooth
    at that time police could not go into campuses so he sent a policeman dressed as a student into the campus to identify the ragging ringleaders
    when they cameout they were severely asssaulted by the police
    soon word got around and that put an end to ragging

    i suppose you cannot do it today with human rights coming to the forefront

  • 7
    0

    We can hang the Raggers as the President is in a hanging mood

  • 9
    0

    One has to only look at the street demonstrations and protests by University students, many of them in saffron robes, to beg the question whether they are the future backbone of Sri Lanka. The Universities of Colombo and Peradeniya produced the elite and role models . The numerous other Universities since 1956 are merely factories that output useless products for political purposes. Ragging in Sri Lanka universities has reached sadistic levels and should be banned by law.

    • 8
      1

      Steve@

      I heard there had been some monks that have ragged their fresher monks.

      There also 5 monks had been made naked and were subjected to all forms of pervert things.

      I question, what MAHANAYAKES did in terms of the brutal events performed by Monks.

      These monks should be hung by their balls – nor alms should be given to the kind of men free.
      The myth that we are forced to respect to safran ROBES should be removed from our beliefs.

      Rather we need to stand very against those monks that live up their brutal life styles being disguised as monks.

      • 7
        0

        Bunjappu
        The saffron robe is a passport to enter a University. They give up the robes when they leave University. It is a big joke. This is Sri Lanka unfortunately.

        • 1
          0

          Not just to enter the UNI only, but also to stay abusive in today s context. For some to hide their hidden agendas and the others that have been obsessed by sexual orientation (eg. Uduwe dammaloka). We have been kept informed by the live incidents being presented by them almost every day. Some also suffer from mental diseases such as we are the ones above the other. Most monks that are wrapped by Safron robes are HYPOCRITES.

          If you would wear a monk costume, you would have been put above the law. Best example, there had been more of the public provocations made on the public stage using racial sinhala filthy on MUSLIM minirotry srilankens. But Rajapskhe govt interpreted it as if nothing occured. What happened to those Darga town Riots were explained as any simple acts. Not long ago, few months ago now, Kandy riots, what went wrong there, and who started it.. and Rohinja issue, who stood against the refuge being given to them ?
          All is not according tothe teachings of LORD BUDDHA, but according shit book, MAHAWANSA which has notyet subjected to any revisions.
          We must not put our religion above the law inthis ocuntry.
          We need the same law being applied to those monks that pretend to be monks but behave BEYOND lay people.
          We dont want to continue the kind of parasites being dwelled by the alms being offered to the buggers. These hould rather be hung by their balls … so that the society can finally get the message in.

  • 3
    0

    Ragging beyond limits

    College’s administration to take appropriate steps and identify the involved students.
    More dangerous acts followed and some seniors took the concept of ‘ragging
    (The time for action is now )
    Ragging stories a medical student suffered head injuries which he later met unfortunate death, and later filed a complaint against the accused for ragging him. ( to Late )

  • 3
    3

    Dear Ameer,
    Ragging has never been a harmless thing. Whose harm are you talking about? This is the very notion which makes the majority prevented from interfering with ragging.
    The harm has to be decided by the victim, not by the perpetrator. Many a sensitive souls were permanently damaged due to ragging. There is absolutely no “harmless teasing here”. You are gravely mistaken.
    What troubles me is the continuation of this political mean of subduing others to conformity.
    What is the majority doing? The majority who in fact oppose torture and inflicting harm? They are silenced either by force, ideology or by rationalisation. One rationale being the nostalgic notion of “harmless teasing”
    The problem of young men in robes acting in unruly ways has to be dealt by the societies they belong to, including the majority of lay students with whom the monks inhabit. It is accepted in a very destructive way “that the behaviour is OK due to the circumstances which we are in”. The JVP and the Peratugamee faction of it are apparatus of the neoliberal empire. The students and the monks and the public are deceived (as it’s their primary objective) to believe that they speak of common good.

  • 3
    0

    “It originated as a week of initiation to new entrants…………………………………………………………”
    This is what was in vogue in the early fifties – at the University of Ceylon.
    The “rag” was confined to make the “freshers” dance in their underwear, and naked, in a closed hall at Thurston Road and in Brodie & Union university hostels – (females had separate ‘rag’ in the Women Hostel} followed by running at 4 am barefoot along Galle Road to Galle Face Green and doing physical exercises for a half hour and running back – the seniors following on bicycles, for one week – followed by a netball match between senior women and male freshers – the women won always, followed by a feast of short-eats and soft drinks for all contributed by freshers and a sing-song in English – medium of instruction was English – many lasting friendships were initiated thus.
    Most ‘freshers’ were from outstations, minority from Colombo.

    The HSC exam (London A Level standard) was also the University Entrance exam – selection was strictly by marks scored.
    Top 70 for Medicine ( should have offered physics, chemistry, botany & zoology – theory and practical tests) next 20 for dentistry, next 40 for veterinary science.
    Those who offered history, economics, etc. went into the ‘Arts’ stream.
    After selection, all were examined for mental and physical fitness by the University Medical Officer.

    Later, the “rag” slowly degenerated into “sadism”.
    Many have even died in the process.
    Drastic measures are needed.

  • 2
    0

    Make “Free” education should be made available for only for the needy. “Free” education has lowered our value for the education. Anything that is given free loses value fast.

    Good example is our Doctors union. They strike for mundane reasons threatening peoples’ lives who paid for their education in the first place! How crazy is that?

  • 3
    0

    Ameer Ali,

    imported Oxbridge tradition from British colonial days. It originated as a week of initiation to new entrants, so that they may socialise with their seniors and get acclimatised to habituating in a new environment of highly motivated young adults.

    Apparently you have not read Tom Browns School Days. (1857). Did you ever read a Billy Bunter. (or Enid Blytons, Mallory Towers or St. Claires).

    Please find out who is Flashman in Tom Brown’s School Days and then many novels based on Flashman,

  • 7
    0

    Man! Oh man! Implement the law to its full weight and force, without any favour or interference, and things should fall into place. Let the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary exercise their full power and independence given by the law without favours or interference..Then things should fall into place. If anyone caused any harm to anyone or disturbed or distracted someone’s life the law is there to ensure his/her good life. I’m not a racist but love all God’s creations under the sun. Just an example -see what happened to monk Gunersara and Amit Weerasinghe, the law is taking it’s course in these cases, now all their scions are silent, if they too jump, this same fate would befall on them too. Hence, University students or trade unionists or any one for that matter, if they break the law, implement the law to its full weight and force, without favours or interference, from any quarter. See these University students’ unions, GMOA, and all other trade unions, openly breaking and violating the laws of the land, why sit on the sideline and watch, catch them and implement the law, that’s it, all should fall into place. In the west where they have full freedom for everyone and real democracy but if any union wants to call out it’s membership for trade union action, they have to adhere, before everything, by law to set mandatory procedures – like first, negotiations with all concerned, independently verifiable voting by full membership, full advanced notice to all affected parties etc etc -, it they failed in this, all of them would be liable under the law. Why in Sri Lanka, all are shaming to implement the law, our laws are very powerful weapons like in any other civilized country to safeguard the rights and interest of the individual and the public, don’t interfere, let it takes its course, and all should fall into place.

  • 3
    0

    Ragging in any form, however mild, “innocuous” and funny it could be – is bullying and there is no justification whatsoever. There is nothing to debate on this. If you want to get to know a fresher just go up him or her and say hello and greet him without resorting to ragging which is really a sadistic way to get to know a “defenceless” fresher. I have been ragged in the university on the pretext of trying to get to know me- but these very seniors who ragged me ignored me totally for the rest of the uni years. This is at Peradeniya- a residential campus. MJA

  • 0
    2

    Ragging cannot be eradicated. Thats how they come to know each other. A few friends I had at Peradeniya Campus were the people who ragged me.The ragging I was subjected was limited to forcing to give flowers to girls, Buy short eats and tea, and remove my trouser belt. Those days early sixties not many students wore belts.Probably my belt irritated the seniors. With the general deterioration of standards in the country extremism has crept into universities. The way we set up special courts to handle high society crime deterrent punishment should be meted out to those who exceed acceptable levels of ragging.

    • 1
      0

      Ragging can be controlled for sure. If each and every one would have been educated well.
      The problem is if any ragging event would be suggested by them, even if many are against, they have no guts to add their heartfelt thought abut them. Like for example, I know it very well, there had been young chaps, that joined the batch as Royalists or ones from popular schools. If I woudl put this way, most coming from Popular schools are really well behaving good students. They dont fall to low levels behaviours of the ones that come rural poor backgrounds. So in such cases, mostly those comefrom those popular schools become the prey of senior rag performers. There, even seniors came from those popular schools stay mum. All these to protect theiir clique. Latter should not be the case.
      This is also seen in lanken society.
      Like for example, among the supporters of Rajaakshe and the like highly abusive politicians in the society, there are also educated people – that have been misled by some powerful handful of henchmen of Rajakshe regional squads. So like a wave it moves forward. They all just forget the consequences.

      PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY SHOULD BE TRAINED and educated about the consequences if one would march in wrong channels. There, we need to EMPOWER law and order bodies as is the case in Europe.

    • 0
      0

      Upali

      What happens a shy guy refuse and runs home and never return to the university. all are not same

  • 4
    0

    Some of the loosers who ragged us severely, maliciously and who waited like vultures to rag, to take revenge on the students who came from schools in Colombo, are holding top posts in the government today. They drive state sponsored vehicles. Some of them is a Chairman, the other a CEO, Director etc. The person who frequently did not let students to attend to lectures in the university of Moratuwa, who as a habit was standing on dilapidated chairs and delivered gobbish speeches brainwashed young vulnerable freshmen who were sent to the front to confront the police at the protests. This thug today is a cabinet minister. Some of the freshmen got shot, wounded , van lifted and some even died. Some of the boot licking tail wagging group of dogs in the student union have gone on to become part of the staff of this minister today.

  • 1
    0

    This whole scenario about ragging goes ahead to throw some light on the Sri Lankan psyche.
    It goes like this: you are in a university already thanks to the free education system, another Sri Lankan citizen has joined you in the same university through the same system.
    You find that hard to stomach. How can someone else be enjoying what you already have. Hence you resort to ragging as an excuse to unleash your inborn cussedness and sadism onto those that seem to want what you have.
    This is not only happening in the form of ragging in universities, it happens everywhere else also.
    Go to any government department, you will see how the officials try their best to give you a tough time. If they findout that you are vulnerable and helpless they make things even worst.
    That is the Sri Lankan mentality. Only I deserve something good, all the rest have no right to enjoy or have any peace. Very primal and primitive in our orientation. Subconscious mind plays out its ugliness in its full glory in such situations.
    It is this primitive mindset that politicians exploit. If they say let us deny a certain right to the minorities we get onboard fast, we forget that denying a minority will deny us the same in a greater propotion. To every one Tamil that lost the ability to speak english seven sinhalese lost it too.
    We are a very narrow minded, self centered, primitive, brutal and sadistic set of people.
    We cannot continue to take out our frustrations and complexes on others. It makes our counrty a jungle instead of a civilised, advanced and delightful place to live in.

    • 2
      0

      Lasith,
      you rs is valid to this topic.
Not just in Unis, in other places too, they behave no well. But most of them would lovely to be called as SINHALA buddhists.
Buddhism itself is a great philosophy we all have got to know in this life. But our people as born buddhists (dont forget to name them as such) just behave other way around like barbarians, jealsouyl people malciious people… and so on.. the failure should lie somewhere else right ?
      Most coming from urban schools to Pera where I was also a registered student for 2 years at the time, Student unrest costed lives of the youth in late 80ties- behaved well. Colombo students get more rags at pera because they come from those popular schools. Anyways, most of them are behaving really well. I think school educaiton should be improved withitn the country prodcuing well mannered students from them.
Instead just to breed book worms cant bring us foward.
They should have the guts to stand against any kind of unfairnessess after entering the uni.
Most of them students join local unis would not like RAGGING but they dont express their own views. This reflect the thoughts and minds of people in SOciety too.
I am not living in the country, but i have the chance to travel to lanka twice a year.
Each time visting lanka, I feel people just follow the other. If anyone would start eating cowdung, the other would do the same without questioning twice. That is lanken tradition.
They are so naive and not knoweldgeble enough to face the life. See, what i go tto hear day before yearsterday, a father with two young teen boys killed themselves by jumping to fasting train and lost their lives, just because the mother in the family was said to have left them for a big city for a job. Father is said to have no courage to see it further.

  • 1
    0

    In the forces we were used to ragging captured enemies who needed to be interrogated.

    We never ragged a fellow soldier. Even a fellow soldier’s first day on duty after passing out was welcomed like a family welcomes a new sibling.

    For the captured enemies, we gave them a range of rags. The weirdest I saw was once a corporal asked a suspected tiger to eat a cockroach. I was one of the mildest raggers. I usually used to ask inmates to bark like dogs, howl like wolves or grunt.

    • 1
      0

      Rtd LRSP @But for sure, you may have had sex with your juniors as some reporter revealed lately.
      This is beyond all ethics and morals. Be it in US, Germany or UK, army forces behave like idiots at nights by abusing their soldiers – is a public secret. Or not ?

      Regardless of the race – handsome soldiers had been the bed partners of senior men in army, navy and airforce.
      That is what I got to know by having red some reports lately.

      • 0
        0

        Desperate Sinhalaya,

        If we cupped our own soldiers who are like our own brethren why do we need enemies? Why should interrogation of enemies take so long?

        Whoever told you that, perhaps he himself was attempting to have you as his bed time partner.

      • 0
        0

        Quite so! DS. It is an exaggeration if not a deliberate falsehood to say that no ragging takes place among soldiers. Inheriting from colonial masters, good amount of military ragging is sexual. Even those students who are cadets get their dose of practical sexual education, essentially on sodomy, especially while camping.

  • 1
    0

    The sadist raggers are few but some have political connections. Another is that these sadists have joined Armed Services and Police
    Both put together makes prosecution near impossible and the degradations worsen.
    Every GoSL must take the blame for this.

    • 1
      1

      Pillai,

      You need to stop be so serious. Ragging in universities is a ritual to welcome everyone. If you do the rag properly and undergo then it’s a sign of maturity and your own acceptance of the so called “club”.

      But if you try to be smart arse and talk your way out of the ritual, then you will not be part of the fraternity and completely from all friendships. In other words you will be declared a misfit. And from your posts you better not attend any Uni where there is ragging because you certainly sound like a misfit.

  • 2
    0

    The way our elected representatives behave in Parliament it had spread to the campuses.Who are to be blamed.

  • 0
    0

    At least 1 thing SP Disanayaka did was to handle this in his time

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    We do not need to formulate a thesis on ragging. As is today, whether in tertiary education or in some schools of Sri Lanka, it ensures that the will of the senior students are percolated among the juniors. This is the mechanism that is used to spread “leftism” among students in Universities. Thus with one cat call all of them could be brought in for a rally or demonstration in front of the Fort Railway station. If we mention the names of some of the schools it looks well respected. But every new boy who joins the team of rough sport is given a good ragging, including sexual acts. So, leave history aside. Sadism must be clamped.

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