Kerala: NIT Calicut to reopen today; students to protest against Professor for pro-Godse comment

Kozhikode: The NIT Calicut Campus which was closed due to student's conflicts, will reopen today.  The NIT campus has been closed after a clash following the suspension of a student who protested against drawing India's map in saffron at the Kozhikode campus. 

In connection with the Prana Pratishtha in Ayodhya, a club called Science and Spirituality, a group of students of NIT campus, prepared the map of India in saffron color on the 22nd of last month. B.Tech student Vysakh Premkumar, who protested against this with a placard saying that India is not a kingdom, was suspended for one year.  This action followed tensions on the campus last week between two groups regarding the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 

The campus will reopen today amid controversy over the teacher's Facebook comment glorifying Godse.  Dr. Shaija Andavan a professor at NIT, expressed pride in Nathuram Godse assassinating Mahatma Gandhi and saving India. The professor has been booked under IPC Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot). As per reports, the student's unions will conduct a protest against the teacher in the coming days.

Kunnamangalam police in Kozhikode registered the case against Prof. Shaija A, a senior faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT-Calicut. The comment came to light on the day of Martyrs' Day (Jan 30) to mark the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. On a Facebook post by Hindutva advocate Krishna Raj who posted Godse's photograph with the words, "Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathuram Vinayak Godse, Hero of many people in  India, the professor commented, "Proud of Godse for saving India."

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• NIT Kozhikode Campus