In a move to generate awareness against the practice of ragging, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted an Anti Ragging awareness debate on August 23, 2023 in the university campus.

The Anti Ragging Committee of SXUK in collaboration with Xavier’s University Debating Society (XUDS) conducted the event. The theme of the debate was to address the issues of ragging and its prevention with a special focus on the role of contemporary media.

While delivering the inaugural address, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “It is a moral obligation of every individual to denounce all forms of oppression and violence, including incidents of ragging or bullying in our society.” He further said, “Ragging is a social evil. We should prevent the practice of ragging. We should educate our children right from the beginning so that they won’t participate or indulge in practice of ragging.”

“SXUK as a family is committed to foster a society built upon the principles of love, freedom, and fraternity,” he added. Ten teams, comprised of two speakers in each team participated in the debate. All of them were the students from different departments and schools. While five teams supported the move, rest five teams argued against the move.

The event witnessed an impressive exchange of arguments and ideas, reflecting the critical importance of media in preventing ragging.

Dr. Tanmoy K Pal