NIT Calicut constitutes panel to probe professor's Facebook comment on Godse

NEW DELHI: The National Institute of Technology-Calicut (NIT) here has constituted a panel to investigate a recent controversial Facebook comment by a woman professor which allegedly glorified Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. The institute assured appropriate action based on the findings of the panel, an official statement said here on Saturday. Authorities of the institution made it clear that the institute does not endorse or support any comment that goes against the principles and values upheld by Mahatma Gandhi, it said.

"To address the complaints related to the comment in question, the Institute has constituted a committee to thoroughly investigate various aspects of the incident. "It will prepare a comprehensive report, and based on its findings, appropriate action will be taken by the higher authorities," it added. Noting that NIT-Calicut is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and ensuring that its faculty members adhere to principles, the authorities also said that the institute remains dedicated to maintaining a harmonious and inclusive academic environment.

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The panel was constituted a week after Professor A Shaija had been booked by police for her Facebook comment. A senior faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the institute here, she had posted the comment on Facebook on January 30 saying "Proud of Godse for saving India". She had made the comment on a post by a lawyer, Krishna Raj, who posted Godse's photograph captioning it as 'Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a hero of many in India'.

Multiple complaints were lodged against Professor Shaija in several police stations in the city by various student organisations, including SFI, KSU and MSF, following which an FIR was registered against her. IPC Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with the intent to cause riot) was invoked against the professor. Kunnamangalam and Nadakkavu police stations were among those where complaints were filed against her. Many student outfits including SFI and ABVP took out protest marches to the NIT campus seeking action against her.