The students of St Francis College for Women in Begumpet, Hyderabad, are set to protest against the college administration's new dress code that compels them to wear kurtis that atleast cover their knees which was implemented session this year, on September 16. The administration also told students that a long kurti would get them "good marriage proposals".
Zanobia Tumbi, who graduated last year, took to the social media to discuss the problem and called for a protest on September 16 against the college administration's bizzare one-inch-below-knee rule. "Sister Sandra Horta (the principal) announced a new dress code change in the middle of the year and her colleagues told our representatives that a long kurti would get us good marriage proposals. They told our representatives that standing up for a cause is blasphemous, raising your voice is blasphemous," said Zanobia. "They would occasionally come down near the gate to check how the girls are dressed when I was in college. Once in a while, they would even stop us and make us miss a class or two, but never sent us back home just because we were dressed appropriately. This time around, it’s beyond ridiculous. A few Masters students were also sent back home from class. One of them was in a long shirt and she got into college somehow but the lecturer sent them back home and they missed classes for that entire day," Zanobia, who is now pursuing her Master's at the University of Greenwich, added.
At least 150 students are set to assemble in front of the college to protest. The students have also asked other colleges to join in. "We're not sure how many people from other colleges are coming though. We definitely want to speak to the adminisyration," said one of the students who did not want to reveal her identity. "We're demanding a complete removal of the dress code — the most we plan to compromise to is wearing clothes that maintain a professional atmosphere," she added.
The college administration was not available for comments. We will update once they respond.