The appointment of Shaija Andavan, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology – Calicut (NIT-C) who courted controversy in 2024 with her comment on a social media post praising Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, as one of the Deans of the institute has kicked up a controversy with some faculty members alleging that conventional seniority norms were not followed in her appointment.
However, NIT-C authorities have dismissed these allegations, stating that the statutes of the NIT Act were followed in Ms. Andavan’s appointment as Dean (Planning and Development) for two years.
As per the Act, the director of NIT is empowered to appoint deans with intimation to the chairperson of the Board of Governors. Only professors or associate professors are eligible to become deans. Besides, deans, who are appointed for two years, may be given a one-year extension.
“I have been chairing a multidisciplinary centre in NIT-C for the last four years. The centre has 40 faculty members under it and my position was equivalent to that of a head of the department”, said Ms. Andavan in response to the allegations, adding that she is also one of the senior most professors of the Institute with 38 years of teaching experience.
Previously, NIT directors sought applications from professors or associate professors who wished to take up the post of dean. Besides, only those who had been heads of departments were entrusted with the additional responsibilities of a dean. “This was the convention followed some years ago, but it is not mandatory,” a senior faculty member said.
He said the appointment of Ms. Andavan was “legal.”
Deans are appointed in six categories – Academic, Planning and Development, Students’ Welfare, Faculty Welfare, Research and Consultancy, and International, Alumni, and Corporate Relations.
The current controversy stems from her social media comment praising Godse. She had commented, “Proud of Godse for saving India”, beneath a social media post from a profile named ‘Adv Krishna Raj’. The post featured an image of Godse and a caption stating he was “a hero to many people of Bharat”. Later, Ms. Andavan deleted the comment, claiming that the public misunderstood it.
Based on a complaint by a member of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the Kunnamangalam police charged Ms. Andavan under IPC Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot). She was also interrogated twice in connection with the case. Subsequently, she secured a bail from the Kunnamangalam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court.
Ms. Andavan will take charge as dean from April 7. She will replace Priya Chandran, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, who will be completing her term as dean.
Meanwhile, the District Congress Committee has demanded the NIT-C director revoke her appointment. It also called for protests in the coming days.
Published – February 26, 2025 01:01 pm IST