M M Jasim Terming the ragging at different public universities as a wrong and controversial culture, the country’s academia have expressed their deep concern over the issue and demanded of the authorities concerned to take initiative to end it. The ragging of junior students by the seniors at the public universities is unexpected. It put the junior students in deep trauma. It cannot be the extracurricular activities or sub-culture. It should be stopped immediately, they said. This flawed culture has become the talk of the town after two ragging incidents that occurred on the campuses of Jahangirnagar University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). Professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal of SUST said, “Ragging incidents are increasing. No senior student has the right to impart wrong culture to the junior student.” “I am deeply concern over the ragging incident on the SUST campus. I request the university authorities for taking stern action against the students who ragged the juniors,” Zafar Iqbal said. He said, “No one of my students can rag others. I feel embarrassed and seek apology to the nation for ragging incident by my students.” “I astonished when I heard that the students were staging demonstration against the punishment given by the university administration for ragging,” he said. On February 27, the SUST administration expelled its five students for their alleged involvement in ragging students. Civil Engineering and Environmental Science Department students Ashiq Ahmed Himel and Hamidur Rahman Ranjan have been expelled for life. Hammadul Hassan and Shahriar Zaman have been suspended for two years while Ishtiaq Ahmed for one year. Besides, the authorities have fined and alerted another 16 students for their involvement in ragging. All are the students of the same department. Chairman of History Department of Jahangirnagar University Professor ATM Atikur Rahman said, the ragging cannot be continued on JU campus. “We always recommend for the highest punishment of ragging to the university authorities. We are also working to stop the ragging permanently,” he said. “We will recommend, from the academic meeting on Monday, for the highest punishment of ragging to the university authorities,” he said. Meanwhile, teachers and senators of Jahangirnagar University called for putting an immediate end to controversial ragging culture. At a press conference recently the JU Teachers’ Association came up with the call and advocated for unity against the ongoing degenerate culture. Besides, Shikkhak Mancha at a separate press conference urged the authorities for taking up immediate measures to end harassment. Expressing grave concern over the issue, they visited different dormitories of the university and talked to the students. They said some public university students use to practice ragging justifying as a form of socialization. The so-called ‘sub culture’ or ‘tradition’ has put Mizanur Rahman, a 1st year student of CSE Department, in deep trauma. The recent incident drew attentions as well as criticisms of several groups.