NAGAPATTINAM: A booze party with male friends has resulted in the expulsion of four girl students of an arts college in Nagapattinam district. The group was celebrating the birthday of one of the girls in a house that belonged to her parents at Sitharkadu village, 10 km from the college, around six weeks ago. The incident came to light on December 24 when a video clip began circulating on social media.

Three of the four girls studying in the Dharmapuram Adhinam Arts College in Mayiladuthurai are seen in their college uniform, while the fourth is in casual clothes. The boys in the group are relatives of the birthday girl. One girl was a second-year BA English literature student and the others were in secondyear BBA.

When the video clip came to the notice of the college administration, principal Swaminathan convened a meeting on December 26. They decided to take disciplinary action after conducting an inquiry with the girls and their parents. As per a college circular, the expulsion will come into effect on January 2, 2020. S Swaminathan told TOI that the college has its own set of rules and regulations that are meant to instil values in students and help them come up in life. Parents bring their children to the college which is run by a mutt mainly to make their wards imbibe virtues. “The party was held in the house of one of the four students without the knowledge of her parents. One of the boys seen in the video clip had recorded the party and posted it on social media. Though it did not happen on the college campus, anyone can find out that the girls are from our college from their uniform. Even after that, how can we remain mute spectators,” the principal asked. Asked if this punishment would affect their future, the principal said, “Yes, we are concerned, but we cannot compromise on the reputation of our college. If we let them off, there is no assurance that other students in our college would not follow in their footsteps.”

Bharathidasan University registrar G Gopinath said the incident has affected the reputation of the college and the management has every right to act against erring students in an appropriate way. However, the punishment could have been meted out in a positive or constructive manner, he said.

The university can intervene only if the students approach the vice-chancellor seeking an inquiry. “We may conduct a probe by constituting a committee,” said the registrar.