Agartala, Mar 28: A disciplinary panel of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here has proposed to suspend 57 students for six months over a comment on Facebook against a girls' hostel superintendent.
A seven-member disciplinary committee of the NIT, headed by R.S. Panua, last week proposed to suspend 57 students from classes for six months. It also suggested to suspend the students from the hostel for one year, guardians of some students told reporters here Thursday.
Panua is the dean of students' welfare at the NIT, Agartala.
One of the guardians, who did not wish to be named, said: "The disciplinary committee proposed the punishment after a student equated the hostel superintendent with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in a Facebook post and the remaining students supported the comment."
Most of those proposed to be suspended are girls -- some of them final semester students who have just one month left to complete their courses. Some of the students have even got jobs through campus interviews.
The NIT authorities refused to comment on the issue.
After some guardians protested the punitive action, which put was on display on an NIT notice board, a meeting has been planned between them and college authorities soon.
The NIT teachers' association has also notified the Tripura government and the union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on the issue.
"The MHRD is the appropriate authority to take apt steps in the matter. We are also looking into the issue," Tripura Higher Education Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS.
