NEW DELHI: IIT Roorkee has issued an advisory cautioning students and staff against using social media to express support for “any political movement like the current one.”The institute said the communication, issued on Monday, was in line with its existing conduct rules, which prohibit students and employees from participating in political activities or making public statements that could embarrass the institute’s relationship with the Centre.In the advisory, the registrar said some members of the institute community had displayed their “affinity with political movement like the one currently in public utterance and criticism” on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.“It has been noticed on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook that some of the campus inmates have shown their affinity with political movement like the one currently in public utterance and criticism. All the students, employees, stakeholders are politely reminded herewith that IIT admitted students or appointed staff to provide for instructions, research and for advancement of learning and dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology, science and arts,” the IIT registrar said in the July 20 advisory.The institute reminded students, employees and other stakeholders that IIT Roorkee is meant to promote learning, research and the dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology, science and the arts.“It is engraved in the notified conduct rules that no student or employee will be allowed to join political discussions or participate in any political activity without permission from the institute or make any statement or any opinion in any media in public utterance which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the institute and Central government or any organisation,” the advisory stated.The circular sparked a backlash on social media, with several users describing it as a “gag order”.Responding to the criticism, IIT Roorkee clarified that the communication was an internal advisory circulated at the start of the academic session and did not represent a new policy.“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 communication should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context,” an institute spokesperson said.The advisory came a day after thousands of protesters gathered near Parliament under the banner of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), demanding Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy.The CJP launched its protest on June 20, with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk joining the agitation eight days later. Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then.(With PTI inputs)
