Tamil Nadu: History student suspended for celebrating Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary

A history student in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore was suspended by her college allegedly for celebrating the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary of Indian independence movement.

S Malathi, a student of MA first year in Government Arts College, Coimbatore was suspended indefinitely by the college authorities for celebrating Bhagat Singh’s birth anniversary on September 28. She was handed a suspension from the classes on October 1, a day before Gandhi Jayanti.

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“I and some of my friends went to the Principal seeking her permission to celebrate Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary. She refused and asked us to talk to out HoD. However, the HoD was on leave so I asked my tutor. He also denied the permission. But I decided to celebrate it being a student of history,” news agency ANI quoted Malathi as saying.

She said that she was given suspension later a week after not being allowed to attend the classes. “For a week, I kept on going for classes but my teacher kept me out. On the 9th day, I was told that I am suspended," she said.

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A college official, however, said that she was suspended for arguing with the principal. According to The Times of India, the official said that the principal had denied the permission but "directed them to conduct it at the department level after obtaining permission from the head of the department".