The Presidency University in West Bengal hosted a grand ‘Dawat-e-Iftar’ on April 5 with administrative support. The same officials refused to allow students to celebrate the Saraswati Puja in January this year. Presidency University is a state government-run university located in Kolkata.
Pictures from the Dawat of Iftar were shared on social media. As per the local media students living at Hindu hostels hosted the Iftar party for Islamic believers including people from across the borders. The report claimed that as many as 700 students were invited in this ‘Dawat-e-Iftar.
#WestBengal
Today evening, Dawat-e-Iftaar organised at Presidency University, Kolkata. Most of the students joined this Iftar.
For information, this University didn't allow to do Saraswati Puja inside campus. Left students orprotested against Saraswati Puja.
This is #Secularism pic.twitter.com/rwzx2ZD9Rc— Hindu Voice (@HinduVoice_in) April 5, 2023
A student named Rajshri Barman said the iftar was organised to spread the message of peace and harmony. She added, “The legacy of inclusion that the Presidency has always stood for is demonstrated through this iftar”.
The report enclosed statements of students identified as Arpan Manjhi, Gobinda Barman and others.
Pictures of the Iftar party were shared by a student named Irfan Sadique, he posted pictures of students having food. The caption says, “Iftar Dawat at Eden Hindu Hostel”.
Notably, after his post went viral on social media, Irfan a student at Presidency College wrote, “The whole BJP is spreading fake news, there was an Iftar party at the Hindu hostel but it is natural. The university celebrates Saraswati Puja also.”
He claimed he will file an FIR against Keya Ghosh and the honourable Prime Minister of India for spreading fake news. It is noteworthy that he himself claimed that the Iftar party was organised on campus.
Readers should know that the same Presidency University denied permission to celebrate Saraswati Puja in January 2023. Students submitted an application demanding permission to celebrate the Saraswati Puja on campus from January 25 to 27.
But the authorities did not give that permission. It was reported that the university believes in DeRozio’s approach to ‘maintaining secularism’ on the campus by not allowing worship.
The University has a JNU-like history
Notably, in January 2023, the students at Presidency University planned to organise the screening of the anti-national documentary by the BBC made on the Gujarat riots.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s student wing Students Federation of India (SFI) sought permission for screening the BBC documentary India: The Modi Question at the University.
“We sent an email to the university authorities seeking permission to book the badminton court of the university to screen the documentary. The university authorities have not responded yet,” said SFI’s Presidency University unit chief Anandarupa Dhar
The government asked YouTube to take down the film as it poses a threat to the sovereignty of the country, its relationships with other nations, and public order.
