Kolkata college students allege marks threat over refusal to join PM birthday play

A section of students at Scottish Church College in Kolkata has alleged that they were threatened with adverse consequences for refusing to participate in a play titled ‘Namo Seva: Untold Stories’. The college principal, Madhumanjari Mandal, denied the allegations and said participation was voluntary.

A student alleged that they were warned their internal examination marks and project assessments could be affected if they refused to participate. The student also claimed that students were repeatedly asked to reconsider their decision.

The college said it was following directions from the state Higher Education Department to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and his years in public service.

State-run higher educational institutions have been asked by the West Bengal government to stage the play and organise drawing and elocution competitions as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, planned from September 17 to October 10 to mark Modi’s 76th birthday.

Several students associated with the college’s drama club claimed they were repeatedly asked to participate in the play, which they alleged contains political references and an appeal to the audience to raise the slogan “Jai Shri Ram”.

The play is scheduled to be staged at the college auditorium on September 29.

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal posted a news clipping of the issue on X and asked, “Is ‘Jai Shri Ram’ banned in Kolkata’s colleges? Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, please take note of this.” He also tagged the Kolkata Police.

Mandal denied the coercion allegations, saying the college had a series of programmes on its calendar from September 17 to October 6 to mark the prime minister’s birthday month, like other higher educational institutions.

“We had to follow the order of the higher education department to commemorate the birthday of the prime minister and his years of public service. Some members of the drama club may have objected, but we didn’t impose any diktat,” she said.

Asked whether any drama club members had suffered mental stress over the issue, Mandal said the college was unaware of any such case.

The student, however, alleged that during an online meeting on Thursday, they were warned that their internal examination marks and project assessments could be affected. The student also claimed that students were repeatedly asked to reconsider their decision.

According to the student, the college’s approach changed on Friday after concerns over the issue were raised publicly in the college WhatsApp group.