Families seek help of police to curb ‘fooling’ at colleges

PESHAWAR: After receiving complaints from the parents against harassing their children by the senior students in the name of fooling and ragging, the police have written to heads of all the educational institutions to ban the practice and take action against those indulging in such acts, a source told The News.

A few parents have approached the authorities of the capital city police to lodge cases against the students who were involved in harassing, ragging and torturing their children in the name of fooling, a tradition to welcome the new students on the first day.

They also asked for action against the administration for failing to stop the practice that discourages thousands of students every year to continue their studies.

“One family has approached the police to lodge a case against the students involved in harassing, torturing and humiliating a newcomer on the first day of his college. The family has asked the police that the senior students not only harassed the newcomer but also uploaded the video of the entire episode on social media, causing further insult to the family,” a source quoted from a complaint filed with the police.

The complainant added that the harassment has caused severe mental stress to the student who has refused to continue his studies after facing such humiliation on the very first day of the college.

Some videos of fooling students went viral on social media in the last few days in which one can see how new comers were physically and mentally tortured and humiliated in presence of large number of others with many shooting the practice with their cellular phones. There was severe criticism on social media on the humiliation of the young students, saying the practice should be banned as it discourages the children to continue their studies.

After a number of complaints, the capital city police authorities have written a letter to the heads of all the educational institutions to take notice of the humiliation and harassment of new comers in the name of fooling.

“A prompt action in this regard is of paramount importance to help curb such practices. It would not only restore confidence of the parents and their children but also assuage the fears of the society at large,” a letter by Capital City Police Officer Qazi Jamilur Rehman to the heads of all the educational institutions stated.

The letter was sent to the educational institutions after public complaints of police action against the hooliganism.

Like the corporal punishment in most of the public and private sector schools and colleges, the tradition of fooling discourages thousands of people to go to colleges and also result in severe mental torture to a large number of others.

“It has been observed with great concern that the new students in the educational institutions are subjected to ragging and fooling which involve physical and psychological tortures. Parents of many such students have approached police to lodge cases against the institutions and the students who have caused pain and humiliation to the families and their children. Videos of these acts are viral on social media,” the letter sent to the heads of the educational institutions continued.

It added that many of the students who faced such humiliation at the hands of senior students have refused to continue their studies, which is not a good sign for the future of the students and the society.