Nagaland University’s Kohima campus marks anti-ragging day with awareness initiatives

Nagaland University, Kohima Campus (NUKC), observed Anti-Ragging Day on Tuesday at its conference hall, marking the commencement of the anti-ragging week as declared by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The programme aimed to reinforce the institution’s commitment to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment.

Delivering the welcome address, Dr. Temsulemba Walling, Associate Dean of Students’ Welfare, noted that NUKC has remained free from reported ragging incidents, attributing this to the Naga community’s culture of empathy and readiness to assist others. He urged the gathering to preserve this ethos while embracing the best elements of the increasingly diverse campus culture and rejecting harmful practices like bullying and ragging.

Addressing the event as the esteemed invitee, Prof. Jano S. Liegise, Dean, School of Humanities & Education, commended the student community for sustaining the campus’s ragging-free reputation. She recalled the Supreme Court of India’s 2001 ban on ragging and the 2011 legal frameworks introduced after several tragedies. Prof. Liegise urged participants to remember the victims of such incidents, emphasising the importance of creating a safe and peaceful academic space both within and beyond the campus. She concluded by reminding the gathering that mutual respect enables “the best in us to come out and the best in others to shine.”

The programme also featured a poster-making competition themed “My Campus, My Safe Place” and a videography contest under the theme “Disrupt the Silence, Foster the Connection.” Iranwang Daime (Dept. of English) and Cecilia (Dept. of Teacher Education) secured first and second place, respectively, in the poster category. Mhonthung Kikon (Dept. of History & Archaeology) won the videography contest, with the winning entry screened for attendees.

In his address, NU Students’ Union President Beben Y. Kithan stressed that ragging violates human dignity and leaves lasting psychological scars. He called for a campus legacy rooted in kindness, unity, and progress.

The event was chaired by Dr. Seema R. Thappa, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Teacher Education, and concluded with a vote of thanks by Sakilur Rahman, President of the NU Research Scholars’ Forum. The chairperson’s final remark urged participants to be “mentors, not tormentors.”

Faculty members, hostel wardens, research scholars, and students attended the event, which opened with the Nagaland University song and concluded with the National Anthem.