Kozhikode: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Calicut will remain closed for three days due to protests over suspension of a Dalit student in connection with campus unrest. The institute has put the suspension on hold till the appellate authority completes its review.
All academic activities including examinations, interviews and placement sessions have been postponed till further orders. Also, 'Tathva', the annual techno-management fest of NIT and 'Ragam', the annual cultural festival have been postponed.
In a statement issued by NIT registrar, students have been asked to remain in hostel premises while entry of outsiders have been restricted.
Tension at the campus ensued since Wednesday after Vysakh Prem Kumar, a fourth-year BTech student from Dalit community was suspended for a year on charges of triggering unrest at campus.
On January 22, a students' group called 'science and spirituality' staged a protest inside the campus against the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration. Vysakh had displayed a placard protesting against the event. The placard reportedly read, 'This is India, not Ram Rajya'.
While the protest was being held, another group of students raised objections for condemning the consecration. This led to an unrest in the campus. On March 31, the Dean of Students' Welfare issued a suspension notice to Vysakh.
Following which, the major students organisations including KSU, SFI and Fraternity Movement raised questions on the suspension and started protesting against the institute's decision. The campus witnessed a series of protests demanding withdrawal of the suspension.
Students staged a sit-in demonstration infront of the main gate on this demand. The protesting students even clashed with police. Later, the NIT authorities decided to put the suspension order on hold pending review by appellate authority.
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