IIT notice on ‘decent clothes’ sparks row

The notice put up at the Himadri Hostel, and allegedly signed by its warden Sreedevi Upadhyayula, reads, “Residents are requested to wear full covered decent western or Indian dress on House day.” House day, scheduled on April 20, is an annual event at the institute where residents can invite guests in the hostel for an hour. 

Upadhyayula, the warden, denied having issued such a notice. As the hostel inmates took to social media and criticised the notice calling it “moral policing”, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal flayed the prestigiousinstitute for its “patriarchal” mindset. 

Following the uproar, the IIT administration swung into action and withdrew the ‘notice’ saying the authorities were not aware of any such “circular”. S Krishna, IIT Delhi’s Dean of Students’ Welfare, said, “We normally don’t issue notices regarding what type of dress they should wear. In fact I was not even aware that such a notice has been put up”. 

“I have instructed my office to call the hostel and tell the staff that it should be immediately removed,” he added. The ‘notice’ irked the students who shared it with Pinjra Tod - a students’ group in Delhi against discriminatory rules for women in hostels, universities and colleges.