New Delhi: A notice asking occupants of an IIT-Delhi girls’ hostel to wear “full-covered decent Western or Indian dresses” for the upcoming annual event sparked a row on Tuesday and prompted the administration to order its withdrawal.
The notice put up at the Himadri Hostel reads: “Residents are requested to wear full-covered decent Western or Indian dress on House day.” The annual event, scheduled on April 20, allows boarders to invite guests in the hostel for an hour. However, Sreedevi Upadhyayula, the hostel warden, denied imposing any dress code.
But the purported notice signed by Ms Upadhyayula created an online outrage after it was shared on the “Pinjra Tod: Break the Hostel Locks” Facebook page. Hours later, DCW chief Swati Maliwal flayed the prestigious institute for its “patriarchal” mindset.
After the growing uproar, the IIT-Delhi administration swung into action and withdrew the “notice”, saying it was not aware of any such notice. Dean of students’ welfare S. Krishna told reporters that IIT-Delhi authorities don’t normally issue notices regarding student dress code. There are two girls’ hostel at the institute — Himadri and Kailash.
But the purported “notice” managed to irk the students who shared it with Pinjra Tod, a students’ group in the city fighting against discriminatory rules for women in hostels, universities and colleges.
Denying that she issued the notice, the warden told a news agency: “It looks like some prank by students as it has been circulated on social media. I ha-ve been told that it has my signatures as well and I have called a meeting to investigate the issue.”
