IIT-Kharagpur’s clarification after row over convocation dress code

The clarification comes after the dress code sparked a row among students, faculty and alumni.

The guidelines issued last week stated that male students should wear a full-sleeved, knee-length, plain, solid white kurta for the convocation ceremony. The kurta should have a band collar (mandarin collar), and a straight hem. It should be paired with a white vest as an undershirt and white fitted cotton churidaar or pyjamas.

Female students, on the other hand, should wear a plain, solid white cotton saree with a plain, narrow golden zari border and plain pallu. “Saree should be worn in the Parsi style, with pleated pallu,” the guidelines said.
The guidelines also specified what kind of footwear and accessories the graduating batch of IIT-Kharagpur could wear for their convocation.

According to a Times of India report, the strict dress code sparked a row, with a section of the student body saying it curbed their “personal freedom and choice.”

A source also told the publication that several students, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, decided to boycott the convocation in protest.