Row erupts as NIT professor who lauded Godse appointed dean

The appointment of a mechanical engineering professor, who was booked last year for praising Nathuram Godse on social media, as one of the deans of National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has sparked a row with the Congress opposing her elevation. Godse had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Shaija Andavan was recently appointed as the dean of planning and development at the institute and is set to take charge on March 7.

Last year, Andavan courted controversy after she commented, “Proud of Godse for saving India”, below a social media post of a lawyer. However, she later deleted it.

The comment attracted widespread censure especially from the Left parties and the Congress. Based on a complaint filed by an SFI leader, the Kunnamangalam police booked Andavan under section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the IPC and arrested her. She was questioned twice and later released on bail. The trial in the case is yet to begin.

The Kozhikode unit of the Congress has questioned her elevation as the dean of the premier institute. “How can a person who insulted Gandhi be promoted at work, especially in a college? The Congress opposes this and will surely stage protests in front of the NIT, Calicut campus,” said K Praveenkumar, the district Congress president.

Several faculty members have also alleged that seniority norms have been violated in the selection process of Andavan.

However, Andavan told the local media that she was not ineligible for the role as she has chaired a multidisciplinary centre at the institute for the past four years. “There are 40 faculty members under it and my position is equivalent to the head of a department,” she said.