A government college in north Goa witnessed a controversy after its acting principal refused to allow a group of students to conduct a ‘Saraswati Pooja’ event in the college hall. The principal was subsequently relieved from his charge and sent back to his original institution by the directorate of higher education.
The incident took place at Sant Sohirobanath Ambiye Government College of Arts and Commerce, where Prof Filipe Rodrigues e Melo had been serving as the acting principal for several years. According to sources, a group of students had approached him with a request to hold a ‘Saraswati Pooja’ event in the college hall on the occasion of Dussehra. However, the principal rejected their request, saying that it was not a sanctioned event and that the college hall was meant for academic purposes only.
The students, however, insisted that they wanted to perform the puja, which did not involve any idol but only a framed image of Goddess Saraswati. They argued that they had the right to celebrate their religious festival and that the principal had no authority to stop them. They also alleged that the principal was biased against Hindu students and was trying to suppress their cultural expression.
The matter escalated when the students decided to go ahead with the puja despite the principal’s denial. They brought the image of Saraswati to the college hall and started chanting mantras and offering prayers. The principal tried to intervene and stop them, but they refused to listen to him. They also accused him of hurting their religious sentiments and threatened to file a complaint against him.
The situation turned tense when some faculty members and other students joined the fray and took sides with either the principal or the puja group. A heated argument ensued between them, which disrupted the normal functioning of the college. Some outsiders also entered the college premises and joined the commotion.
The directorate of higher education, which oversees all government colleges in Goa, took cognizance of the matter and issued an order on Wednesday, relieving Prof Rodrigues e Melo from his duties as the acting principal and repatriating him to his parent institution, St Xavier’s College “with immediate effect in public interest”. The order did not mention any reason for the decision, but sources said that it was taken in view of the controversy and the unrest caused by it.
The order also appointed Prof Prashant Naik as the new acting principal of Sant Sohirobanath Ambiye Government College of Arts and Commerce. Prof Naik is currently working as an associate professor at Dhempe College of Arts and Science.
The directorate of higher education officials refused to comment on the issue and said that there was nothing more to say. They said that they had acted as per the rules and regulations and in the best interest of the college and its students.
This is not the first time that a college principal in Goa has faced trouble over a religious issue. In September, the principal of a higher secondary school in Dabolim was suspended by the school management after some groups complained that he had taken the students for a visit to a mosque without their parents’ permission.
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