Shaija, a senior faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT in Kozhikode, posted a comment on Facebook on 30 January 2024 — Martyr’s Day — saying “Proud of Godse for saving India.”
Published Feb 26, 2025 | 9:27 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 26, 2025 | 9:27 AM
An FIR has been registered against. Prof Shaija. (Supplied)
Synopsis: NIT Calicut professor Shaija Andavan has been appointed the dean of planning and development of the central institute despite being out on bail for glorifying Nathuram Godse. Critics argue that seniority norms were bypassed in her selection.
Shaija Andavan, a professor at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut in Kerala, has been appointed the dean of planning and development of the central institute despite being out on bail for a controversial social media comment glorifying Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse.
Critics argue that seniority norms were bypassed in her selection.
Shaija, a senior faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT in Kozhikode, posted a comment on Facebook on 30 January 2024 — Martyr’s Day — saying “Proud of Godse for saving India.”
Multiple complaints were lodged against Professor Shaija in several police stations in the city by various student organisations, including the Students Federation of India (SFI), the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the Youth Congress, and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF).
Following the complaints, Kunnamangalam police charged her under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for provocation with intent to incite violence.
She was questioned at her residence and the police station before securing bail from the Kunnamangalam court on 20 February 2024.
Though she deleted the comment following the kerfuffle it created, its screenshots started circulating on social media.
The NIT had also constituted a panel to investigate the comment by Shaija, who allegedly
In an official statement on 10 February 2024, the institute assured appropriate action based on the panel’s findings.
Authorities of the institution made it clear that the institute does not endorse or support any comment that goes against the principles and values upheld by Mahatma Gandhi.
“To address the complaints related to the comment in question, the Institute has constituted a committee to thoroughly investigate various aspects of the incident.
“It will prepare a comprehensive report, and based on its findings, appropriate action will be taken by the higher authorities,” it added.
At that time, Shaija had stated that her comment was not inappropriate.
“My comment was not to appreciate the killing of Gandhiji. I never wanted to do so. I had read Godse’s book, Why I Killed Gandhi. Godse was also a freedom fighter,” she told reporters.
“His book has a lot of information and revelations that the average person does not know. Godse has enlightened us in his book. Against this backdrop, I commented on the advocate’s Facebook post. When I realised that people started distorting my comment, I deleted it,” she added.
Prof Shaija, an NIT-C faculty member for the past 25 years, said the furore over her post was connected to the recent unrest on the campus related to the suspension of the Dalit student.
She said nobody from the institute had sought an explanation from her so far. “I am not a sympathiser of any political party. I am an academician,” she said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
