Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Feb 2 (IANS) Students of a dental college affiliated to the Panjab University (PU) continued their strike here Wednesday to demand the resignation of their institute’s director who had asked a female student to take off her jacket and show her t-shirt.Students of H.S. Judge Institute of Dental Sciences here went on an indefinite strike Tuesday after a female student accused the institute’s director, Krishan Gauba, of humiliating her in public.

The student said that Gauba directed her to unzip her jacket and to show him the T-shirt she was wearing in front of other students.

Though senior university officials met the agitating students and tried to convince them that a fair probe would be conducted, students remained adamant on their demand that Gauba resign.

The university authorities have constituted a four-member committee to probe the complaint and will submit a report to Vice-Chancellor R.C. Sobti Monday. The university authorities have also suspended the teaching work in the institute till Monday.

Institute’s students, who were supported by Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) leaders, Wednesday staged a protest march on the campus and also surrounded Sobti’s car.

The strike has affected the services of the outpatients department (OPD) that is run by the institute.

However, the director has refuted all the allegations.

“The student was wearing a T-shirt which had a heart painted in red colour with a quote ‘I love New York’. I just told her to avoid wearing such gaudy clothes as they have to look after patients and these things could send wrong messages,” said Gauba.

Gauba Tuesday evening called the parents of the student, who is a hosteller, and discussed the issue with them. Following this, the parents took away their daughter from the university.

Earlier in 2009, students of the same institute had problems with Gauba regarding the dress code. Girl students were not allowed to wear jeans but the direction was withdrawn after widespread protests.