Sambalpur: Students of VSSUT here accused the Vice-Chancellor of warning girls not to talk to male students. He threatened of action if any girl tried to talk to a boy in the college premises, the students alleged.
This spread resentment among the students who deemed it to be imprudence. This rule by the college authorities has added to the debates of gender equality. Moreover, such orders coming from one of State’s topmost engineering college Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) in Sambalpur received wide criticism on social media.
“As directed by the Hon’ble VC , the boarders of the Rohini Hall of Residence are directed not to talk with male students on the roadside. Failing which the action as deemed proper shall be taken against them,” reads the notice that has been signed off by the warden of Rohini Hall.
Issued December 1, the notice has received lot of flak and criticism on social media. While some students term the rule ‘draconian’ and ‘foolish’, many also say, that the rule was much-needed as public display of affection between boys and girls was allegedly getting ‘out of limits’.
Similar rules including setting dress code for girls and instructing them to return to hostel by 5pm in universities of Delhi had been received as ‘sexist’ and had witnessed protest by the students.
PNN