NIT Calicut withdraws notice asking girls not to roam around with boys after outrage

The National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NITC) has withdrawn a notice it had earlier served to its ladies’ hostel inmates asking them not to walk around with boy students, after the Kozhikode District Collector Prasanth Nair and college professors condemned the notice. The notice had stated that girls would be expelled from the hostel or suspended if found loitering with boys. 

The notice was issued by ladies’ hostel warden S Bhuvaneswari on Tuesday and it was withdrawn on Wednesday.

The notice reads, “Inmates of ladies’ hostel are strictly instructed not to roam around with boy students inside the residential campus. We are getting a lot of complaints in this regard. If any girl is found along with boy students inside the residential campus, severe action will be taken against her including suspension and expulsion.”

The residential campus of NITC, which includes two hostels and staff quarters, is situated just across the road from college campus.

After the notice was issued, students and staff expressed their concern and the Student Affairs Council of NITC protested against it. Few professors have openly extended solidarity to the protests, stating that they would interfere in the issue.

“Some people never understand the changes taking place in our society. Let them suspend some students for walking together, then I will interfere as a citizen of our great India!” The Times of India quoted Professor Paul Joseph of the department of electrical engineering.

“Pathetic! Hope better sense prevails and that we won't have to discipline those who enforce 'discipline' this way,” the district collector wrote in his Facebook sharing a copy of the notice.

However, the Students Affairs Council of NITC in an FB post informed that notice was taken down.

“The notice imposing restrictions on students' movement in the residential campus has been taken down. As soon as the issue came to the notice of the SAC, it was taken up to the chief warden and the concerned authority. The issue was addressed urgently and the authorities have been asked to release a statement regarding the same,” the post read.