MIT indefinitely closed

Updated on: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Several hundred students of the prestigious Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, staged a day-long sit-in demonstration on Monday, seeking action against the Dean for her alleged harassment of students.

However, as the ‘affected' students – those in second year and inmates of Thamarabharani Hostel – did not come forward to sort out the issues with the management and teachers, Anna University Vice Chancellor P.Mannar Jawahar declared the institution “indefinitely closed.”

Students resorted to the protest by locking themselves up inside their hostel on Monday morning alleging that the Dean, M.Thamaraiselvi, was harassing students, especially the hostellers, in the name of enforcing discipline.

College authorities however, denied they were subjecting the students to extreme or harsh measures. They were only cracking down on those sections of students who invited outsiders to their rooms and those indulging in misbehaviour inside their rooms. Disciplinary action was initiated against students only after repeated warnings for their misconduct.

“Solving the problems of my students is my first priority. I have been here (MIT campus) since morning. The students are not coming forward to talk to me. They wanted to meet me alone and I was waiting for them in a room for 90 minutes and even then they did not come,” Mr. Jawahar said giving reasons for the indefinite closure.

While day-scholars left in the evening, hostel inmates were preparing to leave much later.

Policemen from Chitlapakkam, Selaiyur and Madipakkam police stations were deployed outside the main gate and also at the gate near Chromepet railway station. Throughout the day, inmates of Thamirabani hostel did not have their meals and the rest of the students too joined them in support.

They squatted outside the hangar and formed a chain till Rajam Auditorium.

MIT indefinitely closed

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