The National Institute of Technology -Calicut (NIT-C) recently hosted an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) program, passing it off as a club event, the Students' Affairs Council (SAC) of NIT has alleged.
The SAC has written to the administration expressing dismay over the permission given by the authorities to host the program.
In an email to the Director and other officials, the members objected to the holding of the event despite the student code of conduct strictly prohibiting political activities and other organisations within the campus.
According to the NITC Student Code of Conduct 2022, students are prohibited from indulging in anti-institutional, anti-national, anti-social, communal, immoral or political expressions and activities within the Campus and hostels.
The SAC members also alleged that the administration had concealed facts about the program as the club coordinator reportedly removed the ABVP’s name from the brochure sent to the NIT-C community.
“We are extremely sad to say that the general student body of the institute was fooled into believing that the program does not have any political affiliation. The Director of the institute and the DSW [Dean, Students Welfare] were part of the program along with the State Secretary of the ABVP on the dais,” the email said.
The event titled ‘Students Experience in Inter-State Living’ was held at Aryabhatta Hall under the banner of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Club on February 8.
While the SAC is an elected students' body, ABVP is the students’ wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The NIT authorities responded saying that the event was to welcome 30 students from Northeastern States such as Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim.
"The North East region of our country perfectly embodies the spirit of our wonderful country with its blue valleys, green hills and a plethora of resources. Thirty students from the north-eastern region were welcomed by NITC on February 8, 2023 in an effort to foster emotional assimilation, build cross-cultural ties, and give the students the chance to learn about Kerala's history and culture…They have had a brief tour of NITC campus to know the contribution of NITC towards society and nation-building,” the response said.