Amid an uproar over an advisory purportedly asking students not to support ongoing student protests on social media, IIT Roorkee on Tuesday clarified that the communication was not a new directive or policy.
In a statement issued by the institute, IIT Roorkee said the communication was an internal advisory circulated among students, faculty and staff at the commencement of every academic session. It added that similar advisories are routinely issued every year in accordance with the institute's existing notified conduct rules.
"The communication being referred to is an internal advisory circulated among students, faculty, and staff at the commencement of each academic session. Similar advisories are routinely issued every year in accordance with the Institute's existing notified conduct rules and do not constitute any new directive or policy," the statement said.
The institute further urged that the communication should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context.
The clarification comes after the advisory triggered criticism over its purported direction asking students not to support the ongoing CJP student protests on social media. IIT Roorkee, however, maintained that the communication was part of its routine practice and did not introduce any fresh policy or change in existing rules.
What are CJP- led student protests?
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with activist Sonam Wangchuk, organized a "Sansad Chalo" protest in New Delhi on July 20, which is the first day of the Parliament's Monsoon Session. The rally was aimed at demanding accountability for the NEET exam paper leak and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Education Minister of India.
Thousands of students and supporters gathered at Jantar Mantar before marching toward Parliament, despite police denying permission. The police established barricades for security reasons, but protesters tried to break through the roadblocks. Several of them were arrested and detained by the police. Several rounds of lathi charge and tear gas shells were fired by the police after the protesters attempted to cross the barriers.
