Thirty-six students at Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, or PGIMER, have been grounded after they did not attend the screening of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
The students – enrolled in the university’s National Institute of Nursing Education – have been barred from leaving their hostel for seven days.
The Mann ki Baat programme was started on October 3, 2014. The 30-minute show, through which the prime minister interacts with the citizens, is aired on All India Radio on the last Sunday of every month. The centenary episode of the programme aired on April 30.
National Institute of Nursing Education principal Dr Sukhpal Kaur issued order to 28 students from the first year and eight students from the third year on May 3, according to the newspaper.
In the order, Kaur said that the students were absent from the event even after it was conveyed that their attendance at the event was mandatory. The warden at the hostel said that she had repeatedly asked the students to attend the programme but they “did not pay heed”, reported the Hindustan Times.
Kaur said the action was taken “to maintain discipline” as students are required to attend many guest lectures organised by the department. She denied that it was because they failed to attend the show hosted by the prime minister, according to The Indian Express.
“I am accountable for all these students and it is necessary to reprimand them if they fail to comply,” she told the Hindustan Times. “These types of lectures are conducted regularly.”
Chandigarh Youth Congress state president Manoj Lubana said that the decision was “dictatorial” and alleged that it was taken under pressure from the administration.
Last week, a school in Dehradun had imposed a fine of Rs 100 on students who had missed the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat, according to The Times of India. The school subsequently denied the claim and said that only a warning was issued.
Ahead of the centenary episode, the Centre had also asked all the community radio stations in India to air the Modi’s speech live and send evidence of the broadcast to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The community radio stations were also told to send a photograph of celebrations of the 100th edition of Mann Ki Baat. Moreover, the ministry had asked for “a photo of the community listening to the broadcast as a memoir”.
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