Hyderabad's St Francis college lifts dress code diktat to wear knee-length kurtis

In a major development, St Francis College for Women in Hyderabad has withdrawn its circular, thus, allowing students to come in short kurtis. A massive protest was staged on Monday outside the campus against a draconian dress code allegedly imposed by the college management. The new order came into effect from August 1 this year.

More than 150 students holding placards protested outside the college after the management ordered students to wear kurtis below knee length. The authorities had earlier banned shorts, sleeveless or other similar dresses in the college campus. The ban on this will continue to stay. 

The protest was called off their protest after the college management agreed to relax its stand on the new dress code.

A video, which has been doing the rounds on the internet, shows a group of girls at St Francis College in Hyderabad, waiting to enter the college. Several students were denied entry into the college after the length of their kurtis was an inch above their knee.

Students protested against the college management for imposing these dress codes, and the harassment they faced while entering the college premises.

The students, who have captured the video, can be heard saying, "At a time when we are talking about women empowerment, such a diktat is against the entire campaign."

The college management has also hired female security guards to check the length of the kurtis. Students were stopped by security guards who told them that their kurtis were an inch above the knee length. "They went ahead and pulled girls by their id cards and even pulled their kurtis," Zanobia Tumbi alleged in her Facebook post, which had several videos showing the security guards quarrelling with the students.