UGC clamps down on rag day

The University Grants Commission put restrictions on celebrations of rag day, a day on which university students usually take last class and hold different programmes amid fanfare.

In letters to all the public and private universities, the commission asked the authorities concerned to stop all kinds of obscenity, nudity, DJ party, indecent and cruel behaviour, banned activities and bullying in the name of rag day celebrations.

"We place some restrictions on rag day celebrations as per an order of the High Court," UGC acting chairman Prof Dil Afroza Begum told The Daily Star yesterday.

She categorically said they were not banning the rag day celebrations.

"The authorities of universities will determine what are obscenity, nudity, DJ party, indecent and cruel behaviour," she added.

Prof Afroza said activities that are indecent in the eyes of the society should be termed indecent.

On April 17, the HC directed the authorities to stop DJ party, illegal and cruel activities and bullying in the name of rag day celebrations at educational institutions within 30 days.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain within four weeks why their inaction to stop such activities at the institutions should not be declared illegal.

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, Supreme Court lawyer and the writ petitioner, told this paper yesterday that he filed the petition as there were media reports about indecent activities and bullying during rag day celebrations at different educational institutions.

On June 30, Dhaka University syndicate decided that from now on, students will be able to celebrate the closing ceremony of education instead of rag day.

Department chairman or institute director and student advisers after having meetings with students will finalise the programme details.