A dance performance at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur’s induction programme has triggered a debate over campus decorum after a professor interrupted students performing to the Bollywood song “Chikni Chameli”.
A video of the incident, which surfaced on social media on August 26, shows students performing on stage in the auditorium while other students cheer them on. The performance was interrupted when a female professor objected to the dance and questioned whether the students had obtained the necessary approval.
Addressing the students, the professor asked, “Have you taken approval before showing this kind of dance here? Is it a joke? Is it an introduction? Entertainment? You people better know the class.” She also questioned the absence of the students’ faculty advisor and asked whether the performance had been approved. The auditorium reportedly fell silent following the intervention.
The episode quickly gained attention online, with social media users divided over the professor’s intervention. Some supported her stance, arguing that an induction programme is an official institutional event and that performances should follow the organisers’ guidelines and maintain an appropriate level of decorum.
Others criticised the manner in which the performance was stopped, saying students should have greater freedom to choose their music and express themselves during cultural programmes. Some users also questioned whether the issue could have been handled privately rather than in front of the audience.
The controversy has also raised questions about whether the students had received prior permission for the performance and whether the organisers had prescribed any guidelines regarding songs or choreography. The short video circulating online does not establish the full context of what happened before or after the professor’s intervention.
Reports have identified the faculty member as Dr Manika Saha, an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering department at NIT Durgapur. However, the institute has not been reported to have issued an official statement on the incident so far. The incident has since sparked a wider discussion about the balance between student expression and institutional standards at college events, particularly during programmes intended to introduce new students to campus life.
NIT Durgapur regularly conducts induction programmes for newly admitted students, with such programmes aimed at familiarising students with academic life, campus activities and institutional expectations.