New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been accused of violating tender norms and discontinuing several core components of a national anti-ragging framework built in response to the 2009 death of medical student Aman Kachroo.

The framework was developed and implemented by the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust after a Supreme Court directive. Aman’s father professor Raj Kachroo, who is also a member of the Supreme Court-appointed anti-ragging task force has said that since 2022, many elements of the anti-ragging framework have allegedly been withdrawn, reported Times of India.

In an interview with TOI, professor Kachroo said that between 2012 and 2020, the anti-ragging framework included features such as a 24x7 helpline with trained responders, real-time case tracking, access to call records, anonymous complaint options, parent outreach via daily emails, annual surveys across thousands of colleges, and publicly available compliance data.

Professor Kachroo told the newspaper that the helpline now functions only as a referral centre, anonymous complaints and survey-based interventions have stopped, institutional monitoring has stopped, and no recent compliance data is publicly available.

Kachroo told TOI that the mechanism that he helped create was backed by a dedicated team and infrastructure, and was credited with bringing down reported ragging cases from an estimated 40% in 2009 to under 5% by 2020.

Kachroo has filed a petition before the Delhi high court, alleging that UGC awarded the contract for operating the anti-ragging mechanism to an "unqualified" consortium, in violation of mandatory eligibility norms and based on manipulated submissions.

"We have 35 million students enrolled in Indian colleges and universities – the brightest generation of our country. And what are we putting at risk? By dismantling the protective framework that was meant to stop ragging, we are breaking this capable generation into nothing," Kachroo told the newspaper.

"Ragging continues because the system lacks empathy. You cannot tackle something so personal and violent with indifference at the top," he added.

'More than 13,000 student suicides since 2020'

During the latest hearing of the petition filed by him, the court on Monday (July 7) directed Kachroo to submit data on ragging, student suicides and dropout rates. It also directed UGC to furnish the same data before it passes a detailed order.

"For me, justice was never about punishing the accused in Aman's case. It was about saving lives. Thousands of students were protected because a working system was created. That is what is under threat now," said Kachroo.

As per the data Kachroo intends to submit in the court, more than 13,000 student suicides (roughly 8% of the national total) have been reported in India since 2020, surpassing the number of farmer suicides in the same period.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.