Facing backlash, Kolkata college goes soft on dress code

Facing a backlash over its decision to impose a dress code on its students, the city's Scottish Church College has now urged its pupils to attire themselves considering the country's "rich culture" and the institution's "glorious heritage".

Recommending students to come in "unostentatious dress", the college authorities on Saturday issued a notice proscribing round-neck t-shirts, short and slit skirts and called for 'properly wearing' salwar-kameez and sarees.

However, in a notice issued late Sunday night, the institution has invoked its eminent alumnus - the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Manna Dey - in asking the students to dress according to the country's heritage.

"The College recommends that students come to college in simple and unostentatious clothes suitable to an academic environment, taking into account India's rich culture, and the glorious heritage of this college, whose alumni include Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Manna Dey, to name only a few," reads the new notice.

While the old notice threatened disciplinary action for not complying with the dress code, there is no such mention in the new order.

Besides banning captions/writings on t-shirts or tops, the previous order said only full length trousers and "skirts well below knee length without slits" should be worn to the college.

The words "salwar-kameez and sarees should be worn properly" also don't find a mention in the new notice.

Claiming that the dress code was an infringement on the students' personal liberty, educationists and activists had slammed the decision. A section of students had also planned to stage a demonstration against the order.