NIT Calicut's Talibani diktat: Inmates of ladies hostel can't roam with boys

The Indian society, dominated by a patriarchal mindset, has always discriminated between men and women. From the preference of male child to giving better opportunities to men, examples to prove this are aplenty. Stemming from the same thought process are other regressive practices of creating a gender-based gap between men and women and moral policing against adults who are together by will.

Beginning right from the school days, where boys and girls are seated separately, are made to stand in different sets during assembly and other functions, this aversion towards the opposite sex is cultivated in children. As they grow older and have a better worldview, they realise the futility of such practices and mingle freely with the opposite sex. While many establish strong bonds of camaraderie, other fall in love and may or may not explore physical relationships.

Our society, however, doesn't approve of this, and constantly try to curb individual freedom by formulating RULES and REGULATIONS, be it in schools, colleges or at workplaces.

Last year, Chennai's Sri Sairam Engineering College made headlines after a circular titled 'Special Instructions For Girls', numbering 22 regressive rules for girls, went viral.

Among these 22 rules were "Should not bring mobiles, pen drives, sim cards etc.","Should not have account in Facebook, Whatsapp and other related types of this kind", and the most regressive - "Should not talk to boy students".

Yesterday, the National Institute of Calicut administration issued a regressive circular to the female students living in campus hostels, threatening them with "severe action" like suspension and expulsion from the hostel, if found "roaming with boy students inside the residential campus".

Titled as "Warning Notice" and undersigned by the hostel warden, the circular says, "Inmates of Ladies Hostel and Mega ladies hostel are strictly instructed not to roam with students inside residential campus. We get a lot of complaints in this regard. If any girl found along with boy student inside residential campus, severe action will be taken against her including suspension and expulsion from hostel [sic]."

An image of Mega ladies hostel at NIT Calicut Photo courtesy: thenitconnect.com

The restriction, however, is only for the area in the campus called as the "residential campus", an area where faculty apartments and ladies hostels are located.

NIT alumnus Abhimanyu Mongandh tweeted the photo of the circular this morning saying, "NIT Calicut is going back in time instead of forward. Threat of suspension from hostel if a girl is found with roaming with a boy."

NIT Calicut is going back in time instead of forward. Threat of suspension from hostel if a girl is found with roaming with a boy. pic.twitter.com/nhg5ijXNUu Kozhikoden Manyu (@abhimanyuma) November 23, 2016

Talking to IndiaToday.in, Abhimanyu said, "NIT Calicut was never really a liberal space like IIT Kanpur where I have studied. There was a 7 PM curfew for girls to enter the hostel even in 2011, the year I graduated. Few professors had issues with girls and boys interacting outside academics and moreso if they were perceived to be in a romantic relationship."

In a Facebook post, another NIT alumnus Ullas shared the circular posted by a friend and aid, "Haven't seen administration poking its nose in our personal affairs." To the post, NIT faculty Paul Joseph responded saying he is extremely sad to see such a notice. He also said, "Let them suspend some students for walking together, then I will interfere as a citizen of our great India! I really don't know this person who has put that notice [sic]!!"

Ullas is also questioning the administration's decision to punish only the female students and not the male students. Nithin Gopinath, NIT alumnus who graduated in 2011, told IndiaToday.in, "I cannot remember an instance where such regressive language was used in any communication to the students."

A member of the Students Affair Council, Hanz M Antony said, "The matter has already been discussed with the concerned warden. The notice didn't turn out the way they wanted to, was the answer," in a Facebook comment. He also said, "This was put up in a hurry due to some events that took place in that area. Hopefully they will take down the notice very soon."

Update: NIT Calicut administration has taken down the regressive circular.