Pubdate: Tue, 05 Aug 2014
Source: Deccan Herald (India)
Copyright: 2014 The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.,
Contact:  http://www.deccanherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4809
Author: Neha Das

DELHI UNIVERSITY SAYS NO TO DRUGS, RAGGING

College days are known to be the best part of any student's life, but 
they can also give nightmares to many, in terms of ragging and drug abuse.

In the past also we have lost students due to the inhuman practice 
called ragging, which starts with 'fun' by the seniors but ends up 
with consequences, sometimes with the victim committing suicide. The 
same is true of drug abuse. Students start taking drugs as part of 
their 'experimental' nature but end up becoming addicts.

Recently, a two-day campaign was held at the Delhi University by the 
NGO Leaders For Tomorrow (LFT) where thousands of DU students pledged 
against drug abuse and ragging. The Anti Drugs, Anti Ragging Campaign 
(ADAR) worked towards harnessing leadership skills, urging students 
to pledge themselves against ragging and drug abuse.

The NGO which partnered with the Delhi Police, held the campaign 
where the members informed the students about the ill-effects of drug 
abuse and shared their views about the negative aspects of ragging. 
The campaign focused on all students, seniors and juniors included, 
to educate and make them aware about the purpose of this campaign.

Sachin Das, a first year BA (Prog) student of Bhagat Singh College, 
said, "I took part in this campaign because in the past I have seen 
in the news about students committing suicide due to ragging. Even I 
was also prepared to face it on my first day, but fortunately 
everything went off well. Also, police personnel were deployed to 
take control of the situation."

"After taking part in the campaign, I also encouraged my other 
friends to 'say no to ragging and drugs'. Such campaigns can 
definitely stop another Aman Kachroo incident in the future," added Das.

During the campaign thousands of students became members of LFT, 
while many of its volunteers worked across 61 colleges of the 
university to raise awareness on the issues. "LFT is a youth 
leadership movement which basically aims at raising awareness among 
college-goers regarding drug and substance abuse and also against 
ragging," said, Siddharth Jain, a volunteer.

Ashish Jain, another student from Bhagat Singh College who took part 
in the campaign, said, "The campaign mainly focused on freshers 
because they are the most vulnerable. It aimed not only to raise 
awareness among them, but also to involve them in various activities 
to awaken social consciousness in them."

The campaign will be conducted in three phases to cover 150 colleges 
across the capital region. While the first phase covers DU, in the 
next two phases Indraprastha University and Jamia Millia

Islamia University will be covered.

Most of the students in DU come from outstations and smaller towns. 
The new-found freedom and peer pressure often leads them to drug 
abuse and other unhealthy practices. Through such campaigns, students 
can be made aware about the consequences of these ill practices.
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