‘Namo Seva’ play row: Kolkata college students allege pressure to participate

Students of Kolkata’s Scottish Church College alleged they were pressured to participate in a play titled ‘Namo Seva — Untold Stories’, with one claiming internal marks could be affected. Principal Madhumanjari Mandal denied coercion, saying participation was voluntary

Kolkata: A section of students of Scottish Church College here has alleged that they were threatened with adverse consequences for refusing to participate in a play titled ‘Namo Seva — Untold Stories’, a charge denied by the institute’s principal.

A student alleged that they were warned that their internal examination marks and project assessments could be affected, while Principal Madhumanjari Mandal told PTI on Saturday that participation in the play was voluntary.

---

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

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

Several students associated with the Scottish Church 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 whether “Jai Shri Ram” was banned in Kolkata colleges. He also tagged the Kolkata Police in the post.

Denying the coercion charge levelled by students, Mandal said a series of programmes between September 17 and October 6 had been included in the college’s calendar of events to mark Modi’s birthday month, as was the case with 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, she said the college was unaware of any such case.

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

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