Aurora Starchild
A viral notice claiming to come from a college in Odisha, India, is telling female students to stay away if they’re single. The memo gave an ultimatum: find a boyfriend by Valentine’s day or you can’t step on the SVS Autonomous College campus.
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Female Students at the Odisha College Were Warned to Get “At Least One Boyfriend” or Stay Away
“It is mandatory for all girls to have at least one boyfriend by 14th February. This has been done for security purpose. Single girls will not be allowed to enter into college premises.”
The notice, which is circulating around social media, also says that females will require photographic evidence of their mate. “The girls should also show a picture recently clicked with their boyfriends in an attempt to spread love,” it reads.
The notice appeared to use photoshop and includes a fake letterhead from SVS Autonomous College. But it fails to include contact information, such as a phone number or address.
SVM Principal Bijay Patra Has Launched an Investigation
Bijay Patra is the college’s Principal and certainly isn’t happy about the prank.
“The notice is not issued by me,” said Patra. “The letterhead on which the viral notice has been printed is fake. It neither has the contact number of the college, nor the name in the correct order.”
He added that the college had filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the authorities and were investigating the matter.
“My scanned signature is being misused with an intention of ruining my image and the reputation of the college,” said the Principal.
It’s not clear if the Odisha college notice was meant to be taken seriously or if it was just a joke. Maybe some lonely male college students did it as a last resort to persuade their crushes to date them?
Not everyone is falling for the scam, either. Part of the reason for this is the poorly executed graphic design.
“We have all seen the viral notice. This does not seem real,” said SVM student Rashmita Behera. “Some bad elements have made a fake notice viral. This has maligned the name of our college. Our Principal is a good man, and we don’t think he would have done such a thing.”
