By L.B. Senaratne and Senuka Jayakody   Clashes between Peradeniya University student groups opposed to ragging and those justifying it  prompted the temporary closure of the arts faculty, university authorities said yesterday. The university’s arts faculty has been closed from midnight on Friday until further notice, according to a notice issued by the faculty dean. The authorities [...]

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Clashes at Peradeniya Uni over ragging: Minister and Police differ on action taken

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By L.B. Senaratne and Senuka Jayakody  

Clashes between Peradeniya University student groups opposed to ragging and those justifying it  prompted the temporary closure of the arts faculty, university authorities said yesterday.

The university’s arts faculty has been closed from midnight on Friday until further notice, according to a notice issued by the faculty dean.

The authorities said that until the incident pertaining to the clash at the arts faculty canteen was solved the closure of the faculty would continue.

Law faculty students are vehemently opposed to ragging.

Inquires are pending by the university’s proctor and the disciplinary board, while the Police are also conducting inquires over the complaint by the law students who had been assaulted.

Meanwhile, Higher Education State Minister Suren Ragavan told Parliament he believed that action should have been taken under the Anti-Ragging Act.

However, Police yesterday defended its decision not to bring the Peradeniya ragging incident under the Prohibition of Ragging Act No. 20 of 1988.

Police Media Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said they were treating the case as a dispute between two groups in a canteen, and therefore did not act on the provisions of the Anti-Ragging Act.

“If there is a complaint for ragging, we would not hesitate to take action under the Anti-Ragging Act,” the spokesman added.

He said Police were conducting further investigations into the incident and they believed that about five suspects were involved. Three of them have already been arrested.

However, on Thursday, Dr. Raghavan, in his speech in Parliament criticised the Police for disregarding the provisions of the Anti-Ragging Act and not objecting to bail in regard to the three arrested students.

The State Minister proposed that students found guilty of ragging should not be given their degrees and public sector jobs.

He also pointed out that many parents of students who sat for the 2021 Advanced Level Examination and just received results last month, were worried of the danger their children would be exposed to in universities.

Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to switch to online lectures if ragging incidents prevent the conduct of usual academic activities.

UGC Chairman Sampath Amaratunga said that just as the Peradeniya University had switched to online teaching after the closure of the faculty due to ragging, online education systems could be introduced in universities as they were equipped to handle online lectures.

Prof Amaratunga said they would consider ragging as a serious
offence punishable under the Anti-Ragging act.

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