Dental college students call off stir as principal removed

CHANDIGARH - Students of a dental college affiliated to Panjab University (PU) Monday ended their six-day-old strike as the varsity authorities agreed to remove the institute’s director, who had asked a female student to take off her jacket and show her t-shirt.

“The committee has recommended the repatriation of (institute’s director Krishan) Gauba and PU syndicate has approved it. In fact Gauba had himself expressed his willingness to go back to PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research). Now we would soon appoint the new principal of the dental institute,” Vice Chancellor R.C. Sobti told IANS.

Students of H.S. Judge Institute of Dental Sciences here had gone on an indefinite strike Feb 1 after a woman student had accused Gauba of humiliating her in public, directing her to unzip her jacket and to show him the T-shirt she was wearing in front of other students.

The university authorities had constituted a four-member committee to probe the complaint and the committee had submitted its report to the vice chancellor late Sunday evening. He then called an emergency meeting of PU syndicate Monday to discuss the report, and it approved the decision to remove Gauba.

This strike has badly affected the services of the outpatients department (OPD) that is run by the institute. Approximately 300 patients visit this OPD everyday.

In the wake of the students’ strike, university authorities had, on their own, suspended the teaching work in the college from Feb 3 to 7. Gauba was also asked to proceed on leave Feb 3.

Meanwhile, Gauba refuted all the allegations.

“I only wanted my students to maintain discipline and decorum. I have not done anything wrong. But there are certain things that are beyond our control. I have no problem in going back to PGIMER,” Gauba told IANS.

Earlier, Gauba had told IANS that the student was wearing a T-shirt which had a heart painted in red colour with a quote ‘I love New York’ and he just told her to avoid wearing such gaudy clothes as they have to look after patients.

In 2009, students had another run-in with Gauba regarding the dress code. Girl students were not allowed to wear jeans but the direction was withdrawn after widespread protests.