University hostels to be checked at night to prevent ragging

The Supreme Court has been directed that university hostels be checked at night to prevent incidents of ragging in hostels, Higher Education State Minister Suren Raghavan said.

He told the media yesterday that a total of 168,000 students have finished enrolling at all state universities around the country.

He said the decision was taken due to the information received that harassment is more common in the hostels between 12 p.m. and 5 a.m.

With the implementation of the programme, there is a clear reduction of harassment activities, the state minister said.

The decision was announced by the Supreme Court over the incident of the Sri Jayawardenepura University (Management Faculty) student who suffered near-fatal injuries during a party organised for first-year students on March 5, 2020.

Earlier, the Supreme Court directed the Sri Jayewardenepura University Vice Chancellor to submit a report on the action taken against senior students who ragged first-year students, including a petitioner who suffered near-fatal injuries three years ago.