Madhya Pradesh college dress code for girls sparks a row

Bhopal: The dress code rule by Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) here denying girl students to wear miniskirts and shorts in the campus on Thursday triggered unrest in the college.

Girl students staged noisy demonstration in the college demanding revocation of the order and even threatened to move the women commission to challenge, what they termed, the “Talibani” rule.

The female students also dared the college authorities to take action against them by sitting on dharna inside the campus wearing shorts. The college management has earlier announced dress code guidelines for girl students banning miniskirts and shorts in college campus, hostel office and lobby.

“The girl students must be in decent dress when they are in college campus, hostel office and lobby in the interest of their security”, an official order issued by the college authority said. The female students however vehemently protested the dress code rule arguing that the hostel should have the environment of home where they would feel comfortable. The rigid regulations by the college authorities would lead to a suffocating atmosphere.

(This story originally appeared in the Asian Age)