<p>The National Institute of Technology (NIT) here has rejected the proposal of its disciplinary panel to suspend 57 students for six months over a comment on Facebook against a girls' hostel superintendent, officials said here Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"The NIT authority following the protest of the guardians, students and some NGOs, has disallowed a disciplinary committee's proposal to suspend 57 students, mostly girls, for six months following a comment on Facebook against a hostel superintendent," a NIT official told reporters.<br /><br />"The NIT authority have realised that it would be major punishment to the students for a tiny fault. The students have also earlier apologised for their comment on Facebook," the official added.<br /><br />According to family members of the students, a seven-member disciplinary committee, headed by dean, students welfare R.S. Panua, last week proposed to suspend the students - most of them final semester students with a month of the course left and some also having landed jobs through campus placements - for six months and also suggested their hostel facilities be withdrawn for an year.<br /><br />The proposed punishment came after a student equated hostel superintendent Mahua Biswas - a close relative of institute director P.K. Basu - with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Facebook post and the remaining students supported the comment, said a guardian of one of these students.<br /><br />"Though the hostel superintendent was always non-cooperative and harsh with the students, the students have apologised for their comment on Facebook," the guardian said.<br /><br />After some guardians protested the punitive action, a meeting was held between them and college authorities.<br /><br />The NIT teachers' association has also informed the matter to Tripura government and the union human resource development ministry on the issue.<br /><br />"The HRD ministry is the appropriate authority to take apt steps in the matter. We are also looking into the issue," Tripura Higher Education Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS.</p>
<p>The National Institute of Technology (NIT) here has rejected the proposal of its disciplinary panel to suspend 57 students for six months over a comment on Facebook against a girls' hostel superintendent, officials said here Saturday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"The NIT authority following the protest of the guardians, students and some NGOs, has disallowed a disciplinary committee's proposal to suspend 57 students, mostly girls, for six months following a comment on Facebook against a hostel superintendent," a NIT official told reporters.<br /><br />"The NIT authority have realised that it would be major punishment to the students for a tiny fault. The students have also earlier apologised for their comment on Facebook," the official added.<br /><br />According to family members of the students, a seven-member disciplinary committee, headed by dean, students welfare R.S. Panua, last week proposed to suspend the students - most of them final semester students with a month of the course left and some also having landed jobs through campus placements - for six months and also suggested their hostel facilities be withdrawn for an year.<br /><br />The proposed punishment came after a student equated hostel superintendent Mahua Biswas - a close relative of institute director P.K. Basu - with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Facebook post and the remaining students supported the comment, said a guardian of one of these students.<br /><br />"Though the hostel superintendent was always non-cooperative and harsh with the students, the students have apologised for their comment on Facebook," the guardian said.<br /><br />After some guardians protested the punitive action, a meeting was held between them and college authorities.<br /><br />The NIT teachers' association has also informed the matter to Tripura government and the union human resource development ministry on the issue.<br /><br />"The HRD ministry is the appropriate authority to take apt steps in the matter. We are also looking into the issue," Tripura Higher Education Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS.</p>