IIT-Delhi dress code: Varsity asks girls to wear 'full' and 'decent' dresses on House Day

One of the premier institutions of the country, IIT-Delhi has asked girls to come in ‘full’ and ‘decent’ dresses on House Day in a notice issued to students on Tuesday, says media reports. The House Day is an annual event scheduled on 20 April where residents can invite guests in the hostel for an hour.

A IIT-Delhi girls' hostel has asked its residents to wear 'full covered decent western or Indian dresses' on the House day. pic.twitter.com/cEGfBtmebW

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2017

[caption id=“attachment_2608876” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. AFP[/caption] According to Hindustan Times, the notice which was put up at Himadri hostel and signed by the warden was shared by the inmates with Pinjra Tod — a students’ group fighting against discriminatory rules for women in hostels, universities and colleges. Students said this is not the first time that they have been given such instructions but this is the first time that a discriminatory practice has been conveyed through a written circular. However, the dean of students of IIT-Delhi has said they were not aware of such a circular. 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 prestigious institute 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. We don’t indulge in the personal affairs of students– either boys or girls– and we don’t have a dress code too,” he added. There are two girls’ hostel at IIT Delhi- Himadri and Kailash. The ’notice’ irked the students who shared it with Pinjra Tod - a students’ group in the national capital fighting against discriminatory rules for women in hostels, universities and colleges. The DCW Chief also said the commission will look into the matter. “It is a horrible display of a patriarchal mindset by a prestigious institution like IIT. This kind of moral policing needs to stop. The DCW is looking into the matter,” she said. The warden said, “I have not issued any such notice. It looks like some prank by students as it has been circulated on social media as well. I have been told that it has my signatures as well and I have called a meeting of the hostel staff to investigate the issue.” The notice is shocking because it comes at a time when the institution is planning to increase the number of women students across the country.