The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut, has banned girl students from roaming with boys on its residential campus, threatening them with suspension or expulsion from the hostel if they are caught.
A “warning notice” issued by the hostel warden read: “Inmates of the ladies hostel and mega ladies hostel are strictly instructed not to roam with boy students inside the residential campus. We got lot of complaints in this regard. If any girl (is) found along with a boy student inside the residential campus, severe action will be taken against her, including suspension and expulsion from the hostel.”
The notice, issued on Tuesday, came to light after one of the alumni of the institute posted it on twitter, triggering sharp criticism.
G Unnikrishnan, dean of student welfare in the institute, defended the move, maintaining that the notice was issued following some complaints.
“Girl students have been restricted from roaming with boys only on the residential campus of our institute, where our faculty and other staff reside with their families. This area also has ladies hostels. So, it’s a well-populated area and different people have different views about girls roaming with boys inside the campus. There were some complaints too,” he told DH.
However, there is no such restriction on the main campus of the institute, he added.
“Residential campus has people residing with their families of different age groups. We have to respect their views also and maintain the standards of our institute. Students have also complained. They are our strength,” he said.
Unnikrishnan said students must maintain some discipline on the residential campus. “Parents of the students have given us the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of their wards residing and studying in our institute. There are certain rules for hostels and we have to follow these rules. The notice has been issued with good intent. If words used in the notice sound offending to our students, we will revise it,” the dean added.