Ravenshaw University revokes notification debarring students from staging protests

Within a few hours after issuing a notification to bar students from staging dharana, sit-in, agitation at the varsity, the Ravenshaw University authorities on Friday had to roll back the same following stiff opposition from the students. 

The authorities of Ravenshaw University had formulated a set of rules calling them as ‘Rules of discipline and proper conduct of students of Ravenshaw University and issued a notification in this regard on October 20.

Following the implementation of these sets of rules, the students would have been barred from several activities including no bike ride by hostel inmates.
 

However, the notification didn’t go down well with the students and they took the matter up with Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Souvik Biswal, seeking his intervention. 

Among other reasons why the authorities had formulated these rules, as per the official notification, the principal one was to regulate and enforce discipline among students of the University and to take such disciplinary measures in this regard as deemed necessary.
 
The authorities had mentioned 24 activities as misconduct and indiscipline. The main among them are as follows:

All acts of violence and all forms of intimidations 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 right to privacy of the residents of the campus.

Hunger strikes, sit-ins, group haggling and any other form of demonstration by blocking 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 competent authority may impose any of the punishments like fine, detention in a class, rustication and expulsion on any student found guilty of any of the acts of indiscipline or misconduct.