Muslim League leader and Kerala Education Minister PK Abdu Rabb on Tuesday said that he is against the practice of boys and girls sitting next to each other.

The minister's statement comes in the wake of protests against the management of Farook College in Kozhikode district, for suspending a student who questioned the college's decision of not letting female and male students sit together.

"It is not a fair practice, for studying it is not necessary that boys and girls should share benches. Boys can sit next to girls, if they are sitting in separate chairs," the minister told The News Minute.

He said that he would not encourage this practice in Kerala and also added that he did not receive any official complaint from the college against the protesting students.

Dinu V, a first year postgraduate student has been suspended indefinitely for questioning the college over its policy of segregating female and male students.

On October 20, Dinu and eight other students were asked to leave the class and warned not to enter the campus till they brought their parents, as the boys and girls had shared benches during their Malayalam language class.

All those who gave an apology letter to the management were reinstated, while Dinu continued to fight against gender discrimination in the college.

Although Kerala High Court had stayed Dinu's suspension for one month last Thursday, the college authorities have not yet taken any measures to reinstate him.