The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, has issued an advisory, telling students and staff not to participate in political activities or discussions without permission from the administration.
Event Context
The advisory, issued by the registrar’s office on Monday, said that students and employees are not permitted to make political statements or express opinions through broadcast, print or electronic media.
Match Outlook
The directive said such remarks could embarrass the institute’s relations with the central government.
The advisory comes against the backdrop of large-scale protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi, seeking the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination paper leaks.
However, the IIT, Roorkee, administration also clarified that the communication is a routine advisory issued at the beginning of every academic session and is unrelated to the ongoing protests. The institute said the notice should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context.
The notice reminded students, employees and other stakeholders that the institute’s primary objective is “to provide for instructions, research and for the advancement of learning, and dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology, sciences and arts.”
It further said, “It is engraved in the notified conduct rules that no student or employee will be allowed to join political discussion or participate in any political activity without prior permission from the institute or make any statement or opinion in any broadcast/telecast or in any print or electronic media in any public utterance which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the institute and the Central Government or any other Organisations or members of the public.”
Sonika Srivastava, media cell in-charge at IIT Roorkee, said, “The communication being referred to is an internal advisory circulated among students, faculty and staff at the commencement of each academic session. Similar advisories are routinely issued every year in accordance with the institute’s existing notified conduct rules and do not constitute any new directive or policy. The communication should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context.”
Registrar Prashant Garg didn’t respond to calls despite repeated attempts.
