Society Against Violence in Education

The Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) is an Indian nonprofit organization focused on eradicating ragging, bullying, and related violence from educational institutions. In the Indian context, “ragging” commonly refers to abusive, humiliating, coercive, or violent initiation practices imposed by senior students on newcomers. SAVE presents its work as a human-rights and nonviolence effort intended to protect students’ lives, dignity, education, and mental wellbeing. The organization developed from online websites and informal groups created by young people concerned about the absence of a coordinated civil movement against ragging. It was initially associated with the No Ragging Foundation and was later registered under the name Society Against Violence in Education. The death of Amit Sahai Gangwar, a first-year student at the National Institute of Technology Jalandhar, in October 2005 became an important catalyst in the organization’s development and public campaigning. SAVE is described in reference material as possibly one of India’s first registered nongovernmental organizations dedicated specifically to opposing ragging. SAVE is primarily composed of volunteer professionals and students from different fields. Its stated mission is impartial, independent, and humanitarian: to protect students in educational institutions, assist victims and their families, and help create campuses where students can learn without fear. Rather than treating all senior-junior interaction as inherently harmful, the organization advocates humane and voluntary alternatives that encourage friendship, mentorship, and constructive integration. Its activities include public and campus awareness programs, assistance to students reporting abuse, guidance for families, institutional consultations, legal and procedural support, research, training, advocacy, and the promotion of campus-level anti-ragging units. SAVE has organized or supported events involving students, faculty members, administrators, and other stakeholders in cities including Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Varanasi, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Surat, Pune, Haldia, Durgapur, and Howrah. It has also sent communications to colleges and maintained contact with India’s national anti-ragging helpline and its monitoring arrangements. The organization’s victim-support work has included helping complainants have their grievances heard, pressing institutions to respond, offering legal and other guidance, submitting applications under India’s Right to Information Act, and participating in proceedings or representations before courts and the National Human Rights Commission of India. Its legal team, associated in the reference material with advocate Meera Kaura Patel, has represented or assisted victims in selected matters. SAVE has also worked with families of students who died in alleged ragging incidents, arranging memorial activities, seeking investigations, and advocating comprehensive national anti-ragging legislation. SAVE has received visibility through educational institutions, Indian media, and television. Its national coordinator Gaurav Singhal represented the organization on the third season of the television program Satyamev Jayate, in an episode addressing ragging. Former victims and Amit Gangwar’s father were also associated with that program. The organization has additionally reported support from public figures and participation by its representatives in institutional and international discussions. Indian tax registrations described in the source material include income-tax registration under section 12AA and eligibility of donations for deduction under section 80G(5)(vi), although current registration details and operating scale are not independently established here.

SAVE emerged from online efforts by young people who wanted a coordinated civil response to ragging in Indian educational institutions. Before its formal registration, websites and online groups provided spaces for people opposed to abusive initiation practices to exchange information and encourage action. The movement later became associated with the No Ragging Foundation and was registered as the Society Against Violence in Education. The death of Amit Sahai Gangwar, a first-year student at NIT Jalandhar, in October 2005 had a significant influence on the organization’s formation and subsequent public profile. The case illustrated the potentially fatal consequences of ragging and helped motivate volunteers to organize beyond isolated online protests. SAVE’s early and continuing emphasis has been that student safety and dignity require collective action by students, teachers, administrators, families, civil-society organizations, and public authorities. The organization describes itself as independent, neutral, impartial, and humanitarian. Its long-term objective is not merely to punish individual perpetrators but to change campus culture and institutional practice. SAVE promotes voluntary, respectful interaction between seniors and juniors as an alternative to coercive initiation. It has encouraged colleges to form anti-ragging units involving students, faculty, and administrators, and has advised institutions on preventive systems, complaint handling, and awareness. A major strand of SAVE’s work has been public education. Volunteers have conducted awareness events in educational institutions in numerous Indian cities, addressing students, faculty members, and other stakeholders. These events are intended both to inform potential victims about their rights and reporting options and to help colleges establish practical safeguards. The organization has also sent extensive communications to colleges and provided technical guidance on anti-ragging measures. Another strand has been direct support for victims and their families. Over approximately a decade described in the reference material, SAVE volunteers helped complainants bring grievances before institutions, pressed colleges to act, and provided legal or procedural assistance. The organization has used India’s Right to Information Act to seek information from institutions and statutory authorities. Its legal team, led in the source material by advocate Meera Kaura Patel, has represented or assisted victims before courts and the National Human Rights Commission of India. Reported interventions included matters involving the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi and an incident in Thanjavur, where legal advocacy was followed by police action against students. SAVE has also collaborated with relatives and friends of students who died in alleged ragging incidents. Memorial events and signature campaigns have been used to keep cases in public view, request proper investigations, and call for comprehensive national anti-ragging legislation. Some colleges reportedly acted on the organization’s recommendations, while others invited SAVE to address students and faculty or join anti-ragging committees. The organization has indicated that volunteer and financial constraints prevented it from accepting every such invitation. The group’s public recognition expanded through media coverage and appearances by its representatives. Gaurav Singhal, identified as SAVE’s national coordinator, represented the organization on Satyamev Jayate during its third season in an episode concerning ragging. The program also included people connected with the issue, including former victims and Amit Gangwar’s father. SAVE has further been represented at educational and international events, while its honorary legal head has spoken at a national seminar organized by the National Human Rights Commission. The organization states that it has tax-exemption registrations under Indian income-tax provisions, but detailed current financial, staffing, and governance information is not established by the supplied sources.

• 2005

  Death of Amit Sahai Gangwar influences formation

  [1]Society Against Violence in Educationen.wikipedia.org

  The death of a first-year NIT Jalandhar student in October became an important catalyst for organizing a broader civil movement against ragging.

• No Ragging Foundation is registered as SAVE

  [1]Society Against Violence in Educationen.wikipedia.org

  An earlier online and volunteer initiative became formally associated with the registered name Society Against Violence in Education.

• Expansion of campus awareness and victim-support work

  [1]Society Against Violence in Educationen.wikipedia.org

  SAVE conducted awareness programs in multiple Indian cities, communicated with colleges, and supported victims through institutional, legal, and rights-based channels.

A volunteer-led Indian human-rights and education nonprofit focused on preventing ragging, supporting victims, and helping educational institutions build safe and respectful campuses.

• Education and prevention

  Anti-ragging awareness programs

  Campus-based sessions and public-awareness activities for students, faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders. The programs explain the harms of ragging, encourage safe and respectful senior-junior interaction, inform potential victims about support, and help institutions develop practical prevention measures.

• Human-rights assistance

  Victim and family support

  Volunteer assistance for students and families affected by alleged ragging. Support may include helping grievances reach institutional authorities, maintaining contact with anti-ragging bodies, providing procedural and legal guidance, and pressing colleges or public agencies to investigate and respond.

• Institutional services

  Institutional consultation and training

  Technical guidance for educational institutions seeking to prevent ragging. This work includes advice on campus anti-ragging units, awareness drives, student and faculty participation, complaint processes, and broader systems intended to replace coercive initiation with humane interaction.

• Research and public policy

  Research and advocacy

  Research, Right to Information applications, public advocacy, memorial activities, signature campaigns, and engagement with authorities designed to improve accountability and build a stronger public mandate against ragging. The organization has also advocated comprehensive national anti-ragging legislation.

• Campus anti-ragging awareness drive

  India

  SAVE has arranged awareness events in educational institutions across several Indian cities, involving students, faculty members, and administrators. The events promote safe interaction, empower freshers, and provide guidance on implementing anti-ragging measures.

  Outcome. The organization reports broad acceptance by participating educational institutions and invitations to provide further advice or join campus anti-ragging structures.

  Source
• Victim-support and accountability campaign

  India

  SAVE has assisted victims and families in bringing complaints forward, sought information from institutions and statutory bodies under the Right to Information Act, and pursued legal or human-rights avenues in selected cases.

  Outcome. Some institutions reportedly took action following SAVE’s recommendations, while selected cases resulted in police or other official proceedings.

  Source
• Memorial and national-legislation advocacy

  India

  Working with relatives and friends of students who died in alleged ragging incidents, SAVE has supported memorial events and signature campaigns seeking proper investigations and comprehensive national anti-ragging legislation.

  Outcome. The activities kept individual cases visible and connected local protests to a broader national policy campaign.

  Source

• Adopt a prevention-and-support model rather than a punishment-only approachStrategy

  Background

  Ragging can involve violence, humiliation, coercion, and institutional failures, while isolated protests may not produce lasting change.

  Action taken

  SAVE combined awareness, humane alternatives for senior-junior interaction, victim assistance, institutional consultation, research, legal guidance, and advocacy for stronger public policy.

  Aftermath

  The organization developed a broad volunteer program operating across campuses and through legal, human-rights, and public-awareness channels.

  Source

1. 1Society Against Violence in Educationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Society Against Violence in Education official websiteno2ragging.org