Curb RAGGING Menace: Dental Council of India Writes to Dental Colleges Across Country

New Delhi: Vowing "Zero tolerance against Ragging", the Dental Council of India has written a letter to all the dental colleges of the country directing it to implement strict measures for curbing the ragging menace in their medical institutions.

The apex dental authority has also directed the dental colleges' heads/ principals to implement the directions of the honourable Supreme Court to stop this deplorable offence.

In its letter dated 22^nd October, to the dental institutions across the country, the Joint Secretary (L&A), M L Meena has pointed out that according to DCI Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Dental Colleges, 2009, it's the responsibility of the all the institutions to ensure that no incident of ragging takes place in their dental institution and measures taken to curb it may be reviewed.

"As per section 11.3 of the aforesaid regulations, the authorities/Management (Trust, Societies, etc.) of the institution, particularly the Head of the institution, shall be responsible to ensure that no incident of ragging takes place in the institution. In case any incident of ragging takes place, the Management/Head shall take prompt and appropriate action against the person(s) whose dereliction of duty lead to the incident. The authority designated to appoint the Head shall, in its turn, take prompt and appropriate action against the head," the notice affirmed.

The Joint Secretary has asked the institutions to comply with the following steps to make sure no ragging takes place at the institutes and also if it happens, it gets reported as soon as possible:

• All dental institutions should issue advertisements against ragging through signboards, pamphlets etc. before the commencement of academic year as well as during the midst of the session.


• Issue booklets to all the students of your Institutions containing the details about what constitutes ragging, punishable ingredients of ragging, punishments and penalty for ragging, names and mobile numbers of the members of the Anti Ragging Squad, Anti Ragging Committee (Anti Ragging Helpline), Wardens, Deputy Wardens of Men's and Women's Hostel.


• Designate any of their faculty member(s) as Counsellor for fresher and senior students to coordinate the batches of students (Counselees) regularly about day-to-day problems and also to sensitize their role in curbing the menace of ragging.


• Obtain and file an undertaking, on anti-ragging, from all parents/guardians and students (1st year to final year) studying in BDS/MDS/PG Diploma/Para Dental Courses or any other course approved/recognised by DCI, online through www.antiraoqinqin / www.amanmovement.orq.

The notice continued to add the following directives:

"It is also pertinent to mentioned here that, as per section 12.1 of subject regulations, each and every institution shall submit its reports in prescribed format (Annexure-II) to the Secretary, Dental Council of India, Aiwan-E-Galib Marg, Kotla Road, New Delhi-110002, by 31st October of every year in respect of the previous academic session, indicating the requisite information against each column thereof, failing which the Dental Council of India, as per section 11.4 of Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Dental Colleges, 2009, shall impose any one or any combination of the following penalties on it:-

11.4.1 To initiate the derecognition process against the institution under section 16A of the Dentists Act, 1948.

11.4.2 To reduce the admission capacity of the institution to the extent to which the Council deem fit.

11.4.3 To stop further admission in the institution till further orders.

11.4.4 To stop the renewal of permission in respect of UG/PG Dental Courses.

11.4.6 To post the information regarding penalties so imposed on the concerned institution on the website of DCI for information of all concerned."

"Further, it is also to inform you that the DCI has developed an online module to upload the requisite information/documents on DCI website to reduce the paperwork and to scrutiny the above data efficiently, accordingly, the Executive Committee of the DCI in its meeting held on 13.10.2018 at New Delhi has decided that the all the requisite information/documents required as per DCI Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Dental Colleges, 2009, shall be uploaded on DCI website and henceforth any hard copy of information /documents received by Post or sent by E-mail shall not be considered by DCI."

"In view of the above, I am directed to request you that the requisite information in the prescribed format (Annexure-II as prescribed in DCI Regulations) for the previous academic session 2017-2018 may kindly be uploaded on DCI website by 31.10.2018, positively, as the said information is required to be sent to the Monitoring Committee appointed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. In case the information is not uploaded by 31.10.2018 on DCI website, the name of defaulting institution will be forwarded to the said Monitoring Committee for such appropriate action as may be deemed fit and proper by the said Hon'ble Monitoring Committee, and their names will also be uploaded on DCI Website."