On the ragging issue, the Himachal Pradesh administration slapped show cause notices on 40 functionaries of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra on Thursday.

Mr. Rajeev Bindal, State Health Minister, stated, “Show cause notices have been served on principals, wardens and managers since 2001 when the first case of ragging was reported at the medical college, Tanda. We will not spare the guilty.”

The government has directed the officials to clear their positions before April 23, 2009.

The Himachal Pradesh government following a direction of the Supreme Court has already suspended Dr. Suresh Sankhyan, who headed the medical college when a student Aman Kachroo died allegedly due to ragging.

Despite widespread disparagement, the State government is leaving no stone unturned to halt ragging in educational institutions.

The government has already sanctioned Himachal Pradesh Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Ragging) Ordinance, 2009, banning ragging within or outside the premises of an educational institution.

Moreover, the government has also taken action against four officials of the College including Dr. Suresh Sankhyan.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has accepted the proposal of Rajender Kachru, father of Aman Satya Kachru, to support the “Aman Movement” — a countrywide campaign to institutionalise zero-tolerance to ragging in educational institutions.

The government had decided to establish an Aman Satya Kachru Memorial Trust with a corpus of Rs 50 lakh to give scholarships to praiseworthy students and to undertake activities against ragging.