Advisory not new directive; should not be misinterpreted: IIT Roorkee clarifies on student protests

Roorkee (Uttarakhand) [India], July 21 (ANI): IIT Roorkee on Tuesday clarified that an advisory circulating on social media regarding students' political expression is a routine internal advisory issued at the commencement of every academic session and does not constitute any new directive or policy.
The institute told ANI that the communication is an "internal advisory circulated among students, faculty and staff at the commencement of every academic session" and does not constitute any new policy.
"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," IIT Roorkee said in the clarification issued by its Media Cell Incharge, Sonika Srivastava.
"The communication should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context," the spokesperson added.
A screenshot of an email has been purportedly circulating online that alleges the institution refrains "campus inmates" from showing "affinity" in the "political movement like the one currently, in public utterance and in public criticism"
"It has been noticed on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook etc. that some of the campus inmates shown their affinity with political movement like the one currently, in public utterance and in public criticism. All the students, employees, stakeholders are politely reminded herewith that IIT admitted students or appointed staff to provide for instructions, research and for the advancement of learning, and dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology, sciences and arts. It is engraved in the notified conduct rules that no student or employee will be allowed to join political discussion or participate in any political activity without prior permission for the institute or make any statement or opinion in any broadcast/telecast or in any print or electronic media in any public utterance which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the institute and the Central Government or any other Organizations or members of the public," the mail states.
The CJP's protest march toward Parliament on Monday turned violent, with Delhi Police claiming that more than 118 police personnel were injured in clashes. Around 60 protesters were also reported to have sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court proposed shifting climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital to Medanta Hospital, observing that medical experts were unanimous that he required continuous hospital monitoring while the concerns expressed by him in a letter about his stay at the government hospital also needed to be considered. (ANI)