Kochi, Feb. 27 -- The appointment of a mechanical engineering professor, who was booked last year for praising Nathuram Godse on social media, as one of the deans of National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has sparked a row with the Congress opposing her elevation. Godse had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Shaija Andavan was recently appointed as the dean of planning and development at the institute and is set to take charge on March 7.

Last year, Andavan courted controversy after she commented, "Proud of Godse for saving India", below a social media post of a lawyer. However, she later deleted it.

The comment attracted widespread censure especially from the Left parties and the Congress. Based on a complaint filed by an SFI le...