In January 2015, one and a half years after sitting for my A/L s, I entered a leading local University, to the Faculty of Applied Sciences to study Sports Science. As I enter, I hear that the Faculty of Applied Sciences has an anti-rag students’ union due to the brutal killing of a student called Samantha Vidanage who stood up against the rag in 2002. Little did I know of the pro-rag association, Vidudaya Vidya Sahodarathwaya (VVS) which was initiated by Anthare (IUSF) to counter this anti-rag movement.
1st Year
Initially, I tried to stay neutral and not take a ‘side’ as many Sports Science students were forced to be involved in VVS due to being from outstation and needing to use the university hostel facilities. I conducted ‘kuppi’ (end of semester teaching sessions targeted at covering the syllabus in Sinhala, especially since many find the regular English lectures a major challenge in comprehension) for all students in my batch; including those pro-raggers in my batch. It becomes increasingly difficult to stay neutral as my batch mates are being brainwashed by a pro-rag doctrine which is changing them from the inside out.
Finally, at the end of my 1st Year, I witness my friend being assaulted by some pro-rag students in my batch and I decided to give evidence to the proctor’s office and to the police. I was disappointed that no action was taken after the internal inquiry into the incident. In fact, I was appalled by how the inquiry took place, since both the victim and the perpetrators were brought together, and the raggers clearly saw that I was the person giving evidence against them. Ever since then, the pro-rag group threatened me and limited my access to the University, and I lost the often touted ‘freedom of education’.
2nd Year
Once I entered my 2nd Year, I started a campaign to approach the freshers as they enter university and to convince them to stay away from the hostels, as this is the breeding ground of raggers. I only approached students who are financially able to spend at least Rs.3,000/= per month for boarding facilities. On the 3rd of February 2016 at around 12.30 pm as I was leaving the University after a lecture, two other students and I were assaulted by a group of 12–15 raggers. I received the brunt of the attack as my plan to discourage students from staying at the hostel had been received negatively by the pro-rag association, VVS. Later, I found out that the location of my assault was carefully planned as some of the freshers who I had approached and spoken to, were in the area of the incident and saw this happen. This was clearly their way of warning them of the consequences of following me, and sure enough, both others with me were assaulted and almost all the freshers who saw my assault, never spoke against ragging since that fateful day. I, on the other hand, could never be silenced by violence.
On July 29th, 2016 at 7.00 am, as I made my way for football practice, a group of 20–30 VVS raggers ambushed and assaulted me. I escaped without serious injury due to my team-mates coming to my rescue and protecting me. The raggers stated that I had violated a code by giving evidence against them (when my friend was assaulted) and stated that more of the same was to come if I reported my incident to the authorities. Unaffected by their foolish threats, I lodged an entry at the police station. My father decides to confront the Dean, who promises to “sack” parties involved in the incident. He gave me the telephone number of the proctor and asked me to lodge an entry at the proctor’s office, naming the persons involved so that action could be taken. A week later, I’m called to the Dean’s office where the raggers have met the Dean, and there I’m asked to rescind my entry to the proctor’s office by the very person who asked me to lodge it, which I found to be farcical. After the meeting, the raggers there threaten to “see me at my funeral” But absolutely no action was taken by the University authorities, not even an internal inquiry into the incident.
3rd Year
On the 18th of February 2017, I received a letter stating that my police entry has been referred to the Conciliatory Board (Samatha Mandale) and to attend a meeting on March 4th 2017, in connection to my assault on July 26th 2016. On March 25th 2017, the issue was ‘resolved’ by both parties accepting to compromise (this inquiry took 8 months to even take place and the raggers didn’t even turn up on the first day, so I was clearly wasting my time — which is why I agreed), and the raggers (Two boys, not named) promised to never be involved in any problem to do with me, or any of my anti-rag juniors in the future.
During my 3rd Year, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, at the time he was up for reappointment, made a ‘bold’ press statement to Rupawahini condemning ragging and claiming a zero-tolerance policy on ragging at our University. I decided to comment on this video on Facebook because it was a fake show put on for public consumption, and a reappointment gimmick. I responded to the post with the real situation at the University. A few hours later I received a phone call through a contact of the VC forcing me to remove my Facebook comment
4th Year
On 27th February 2018 at around 5.30pm a group of raggers attacked the science faculty canteen where 1st and 2nd Year anti-rag students were injured. I attempted to save my juniors and succeeded to a point, protecting some 2nd Years. The raggers threatened to assault me, but some of them recognized me as a 4th Year student and warned their co-attackers not to assault me (never has a 4th Year been assaulted from the time I entered University).
On 8th October 2018 at around 4 pm, the raggers attacked the science faculty canteen and assaulted 2nd Year anti-rag students present in the canteen. All the 2nd Year students ran to the Rubberwaththa road exit in campus as it’s the closest gate for getting out. (to the nearest exit gate onto the road) One 2nd Year student was caught and brutally assaulted near the gate (he was hospitalized). I was exiting the New Science Faculty Complex building via the lift (unaware of the attacks being carried out), and as I made my way towards the Rubberwaththa gate, the raggers who assaulted the 2nd Years were making their way around the faculty looking for anti-raggers to attack. As I moved towards the gate, I was confronted by 3 raggers (3rd Years) who scolded me in filth; I stated that I was a 4th Year (as 4th Years are usually exempted from this kind of violence). These first 3 raggers don’t know who I am and were hesitant, but then 3 other raggers, who know me, arrived on the scene. One boy, who signed the Conciliatory Board statement promising not to be involved in issues to do with me, and another, who was supposed to be suspended for 3 Years for a previous incident. They used their bare-hands, sticks and umbrellas (it was a rainy day) to assault me. In the end, a group of around 30–50 raggers accumulate around me. To be honest, I don’t know how many of them actually got the chance to get their hands on me, as only around 15–20 can surround me (I assumed that the rest of them formed a secondary ring around me and hit their own guys as they tried to hit me!) Three of my friends (2 girls and a guy) came to my rescue and put themselves between me and the raggers in the hope of stopping the fight. This is because they usually stop when girls are in the way, but this time it didn’t deter them and the assault on me continued. The girls were manhandled by the raggers and were also injured in the process. One girl was taken to a side and a ragger held her by the neck and told her to back off. My other friend went to help her and was attacked by 5 raggers. Some lecturers and non-academic staff watched as this unfolded, but only one intervened and pulled me to safety, and he received a kick from one of the raggers for helping me. I was finally pulled away by my 3 friends and taken to the Dean’s office, but on the way, I saw the Marshals from the proctor’s office (who are supposed to look into discipline on campus) just watching from afar, arms folded. When I reached the Dean’s office, I ran into 2 lecturers and the Dean’s personal secretary who told me to stay quiet and lie low to avoid drawing the attention of the raggers. One of my friends called her mother who brought a car near the Dean’s office and took me home to safety. I managed to record video evidence of my assault this time around. The raggers filed a complaint against me at the proctor’s office claiming I assaulted them, and I get wind that the authorities are considering suspending me! Luckily, I have the video evidence necessary to prove my innocence. This time my father chooses to confront the Vice-Chancellor, who asks me to lodge a complaint at the proctor’s office with the video evidence and assures us that action will be taken. In the meantime, I entered a complaint to the University Grants Commission (UGC) Ragging portal with the names of the perpetrators and my video evidence, as I don’t trust the University to take any meaningful action.
The proctor’s office inquiry into the incident was held on 8th November 2018, and during the inquiry, the Proctor/Disciplinarian tried to blame me for putting a complaint at the UGC, stating that I cannot go to any authorities outside the University without permission of the VC. He threatened to take away my degree, stating that it’s illegal according to the by-laws of the University to report on-campus incidents to any authority outside the University. In the end, no action was taken even though I have overwhelming evidence including 3 eyewitness accounts and video evidence. This incident occurred a week before my final exam, and end-semester exams were postponed by a couple of weeks. I was asked by my Department whether I wanted any protection when I came in to sit for my exams. I was reluctant, but my parents insisted that I ask for protection. That semester I sat for exams alone, in a hall outside the University. The VVS put black flags and banners in protest for ‘some’ students getting ‘special’ exam treatment!
I finished my degree program with first-class honors and as the batch top in my Department. Usually, the batch top is selected by the Department to be a Demonstrator, but on the 1st of January 2019, the Head of the Department of Sports Science informs me that I will not be offered the Demonstrator post. The reason stated is my assault on the 8th of October 2018. I retort that it was me who got assaulted and that I had no way of controlling such a thing, but they didn’t take any notice of my arguments. Later, I found out that the plot to deny me of my right of being hired as a Demonstrator to the Department was a collective decision by the VC (who apparently still holds a grudge for the Facebook comment), the Dean, the Department head, and others who felt that me being a Demonstrator would disrupt the status quo, where most lecturers in the University are silent supporters of the practice of ragging. They also felt that they couldn’t curb my vehement insistence on being against the rag.
My fight against the rag, however, is not complete; not by a long shot. I have started a blog on which I intend to collect and publish real stories of students affected by the rag, in a way that protects their identity (stoprag.com). My goal is to educate the general public of the reality of the rag and all its active supporters, to name and shame those like the VC, Dean, Proctor and Department Head involved in my story, in a bid to hold them all accountable for their inaction against this scourge persisting in our university system.
