DU hostel asks residents to show up in ‘proper’ dress in co-ed common room

The Delhi University notice prohibits eating, sleeping, bullying or any other indecent behaviour in the common room, and warns of disciplinary against those violating the rules.

The Delhi University’s Department of Social Work (DSW) hostel has asked its residents to “dress up properly” while in the common room, reigniting a row over dress codes in colleges.

The Delhi University’s Department of Social Work (DSW) hostel has asked its residents to “dress up properly” while in the common room, reigniting a row over dress codes in colleges. (Raj K Raj/HT File Photo)

A notice put up on April 27, however, did not specify what the definition of a “proper” dress was.

Residents of the hostel have started raising their voice against the diktat, with students pasting messages on the notice board calling the rule “patriarchal”. One of the messages read —“Thank you for the disgraceful advise” (sic).

On Saturday, the hostel administration removed the messages of the students, with the DSW warden issuing a new notice which read —“The advice regarding dress was made in context of complaint from some female residents of the hostel with regard to certain male residents sleeping in common room in inappropriate night dress, which was curbing their use of common room.”

The hostel houses both male and female students and residents can use the common room for studying, watching television and reading newspapers.

Agnimitra added said that the notice was temporary. It would have been taken down in two days after a meeting with students on this matter, she said. Agnimitra said that she had also held a general body meeting with the students on the issue on Thursday.

The notice further prohibited eating, sleeping, bullying or any other indecent behaviour in the common room, and warned of disciplinary against those violating the rules.

The DSW notice comes a week after a girls hostel at IIT-Delhi asked its residents to dress in “fully covered decent western dress or Indian dress” for their House Day. The notice was pulled down after students protested the move.