Odisha: Ravenshaw Varsity Revokes Notification Prohibiting Students From Staging Protests

Cuttack: A day after issuing ‘Rules of discipline and proper conduct of students of Ravenshaw University’, the authorities on Friday withdrew the notification which prohibiting students from staging dharna, sit-in, and agitation on the premises.

The hotel borders were also barred from riding motorcycles on the campus. Following which, the students took the matter up with Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Souvik Biswal and sought his intervention.

The authorities had mentioned 24 activities as misconduct and indiscipline. A few among the are as follows:

• All acts of violence and all forms of threats such as gheraos, sit-ins or any variant of the same which disrupt the standard academic and administrative functioning of the University and or any act which incites or leads to violence of any nature
• Gheraos, dharnas, obstruction or staging protests around the residence of any member of the University Community or any other form of coercion, intimidation or disturbance of the right to privacy of the residents of the campus
• Hunger strikes, sit-ins, group haggling and any other form of demonstration by blocking the entrance or exit of any of the academic and/or administrative complexes or disrupting the movements of any member of the University community
• Unauthorized audio or video recording inside the classroom/office room or chamber of the officer or in the campus
• Eve-teasing or insolent behaviour or any misbehaviour with a girl student, faculty/ staff member/visitor
• Inciting communal, caste, or regional feelings or creating unrest among students
• Use of abusive, defamatory, slanderous, derogatory, or intimidatory language against any member of the University Community
• Damaging or defacing, in any form, any property of the University or the property of any member of the University community

In case of violation, the authorities had warned of punishments like fines, detention in a class, rustication, and expulsion. This, however, has now been revoked, sources said.