Dental college strike over T-shirt tiff continues
By IANSWednesday, February 2, 2011
CHANDIGARH - Students of a dental college affiliated to the Panjab University (PU) Thursday refused to end their indefinite stir to demand the resignation of their institute director who had asked a female student to take off her jacket and show her t-shirt.
Students of HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences have submitted a memorandum, signed by over 300 students, to the PU authorities against the director of the institute, Krishan Gauba.
Students also blocked one of the entry gates of the PU campus Thursday. They are demanding the resignation of Gauba.
A female student accused Gauba of humiliating her in public. She said that Gauba had directed her to unzip her jacket and to show him the T-shirt she was wearing in front of other students.
The university authorities have constituted a four-member committee to probe the complaint and will submit a report to Vice-Chancellor R.C. Sobti Monday. The entire proceedings of the meeting of the committee would be video-graphed.
“Gauba has been continuously and persistently misbehaving, torturing, molesting and harassing the innocent students of the institute, who have been regularly and continuously complaining of his arrogant attitude. We demand his immediate ouster and replacement,” said the students’ complaint that was signed by over 300 students.
The university authorities have also suspended teaching work in the institute till Monday.
The strike has affected the services of the outpatients department (OPD) that is run by the institute.
However, the director, who was asked to proceed on leave till the completion of the inquiry, has refuted all the allegations.
“I have not done anything wrong and was doing only my duty. I had come here on deputation from the PGIMER (postgraduate institute of medical education and research) and now I am contemplating resigning from my present post,” Gauba told IANS.
“The student was wearing a T-shirt which had a heart painted in red colour with a quote ‘I love New York’. I just told her to avoid wearing such gaudy clothes as they have to look after patients and these things could send wrong messages,” he added.
Earlier in 2009, students of the same institute had problems with Gauba regarding the dress code. Girl students were not allowed to wear jeans but the direction was withdrawn after widespread protests.
