Following protests, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) on Thursday granted permission to a group of north Indian students to perform Saraswati pooja on February 10 and 11 on the campus of their college in Alappuzha.
The decision comes after a high-power committee of the CUSAT comprising vice chancellor and registrar met on Thursday.
A group of north Indian students at the Cochin University College of Engineering in Kuttanad had earlier sought permission to perform pooja on their campus. However, their request was turned down by the authorities who claimed theirs is a “secular” campus.
“Since ours is a secular campus and as such we cannot permit religious functions/activities of any particular religion inside the campus,” said a February 1 circular issued by the vice chancellor.
The circular sparked off protests from a section of students who claimed that a pooja was performed on the campus last year with the permission of the college authorities.
The fresh controversy came exactly a year after a college of the Cochin University made national headlines when a group of north Indian students alleged they were deliberately fed beef cutlets.
