New Delhi: At least 19 students including four girls died due to ragging during the previous academic year, data tabulated by an anti-ragging organization revealed on Tuesday. It also claimed that there is a significant jump in the number of ragging incidents during 2009-10 academic year as compared to the previous two years.

The Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE), that has also helped the Supreme Court appointed committee to frame guidelines on ragging, said in the last 12 months 19 cases of deaths and 4 cases of attempted suicides allegedly due to ragging were reported. The number of cases reported during the time was 164 as against 88 in 2008-09, and 89 in 2007-08.

The highest incidents were reported from Uttar Pradesh (26), Andhra Pradesh (18), Tamil Nadu (14), Kerela (13) and West Bengal (11). As per the ragging deaths Maharashtra and West Bengal with four deaths each were leading the infamous table, the organization claimed.

On the positive side, in 2009-10 academic session police intervention was noted in 66% of the total ragging cases as compared to 59% the year before, said Harsh Aggarwal, co-founder of CURE. Officially, ragging is banned in India.