Surgical Strike celebrations in universities not compulsory: Govt
September 21, 2018 14:09
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar reacts to criticism on the UGC circular asking universities to celebrate September 29 as Surgical Strike Day.
Speaking to ANI the minister said, "On 29th September (anniversary of the surgical strike), we have asked colleges, those who want to, to arrange a lecture by ex-army officers who can tell the students how defence forces defend the country and how the surgical strike was conducted.
"We have not made any compulsions on institutions or students. We have issued a program because of suggestions from many students and teachers that they need to commemorate the second anniversary of surgical strike. There is no politics, it is only patriotism."
The HRD ministry now says the circular is only an advisory and not mandatory.
The University Grants Commission had issued a circular to vice chancellors of all universities with a list of activities which maybe undertaken on 29th September following the Govt of India's decision to celebrate it as 'Surgical Strike Day'.
West Bengal will not celebrate the day. The state education minister Partha Chatterjee criticised the BJP-led central government for trying to "malign and politicise" the Army.
"This is an agenda of the BJP and it is trying to push this agenda by using the UGC ahead of elections. It is a matter of shame that they are using the UGC to achieve their political agenda," Chatterjee said.
Kapil Sibal, who had held the HRD ministry in the UPA government said, "It is absolutely shocking. In fact, I don't think since independence, we have seen UGC giving any kind of directive of this nature to universities. For UGC, to give a directive is destroying the very independence of the university system."
On September 29 in 2016, the Indian Army carried out "surgical strikes" on seven terrorist launchpads across the LoC as a response to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month. The Indian Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross onto the Indian territory.
Read: Revealed: How the surgical strikes ops unfolded
Speaking to ANI the minister said, "On 29th September (anniversary of the surgical strike), we have asked colleges, those who want to, to arrange a lecture by ex-army officers who can tell the students how defence forces defend the country and how the surgical strike was conducted.
"We have not made any compulsions on institutions or students. We have issued a program because of suggestions from many students and teachers that they need to commemorate the second anniversary of surgical strike. There is no politics, it is only patriotism."
The HRD ministry now says the circular is only an advisory and not mandatory.
The University Grants Commission had issued a circular to vice chancellors of all universities with a list of activities which maybe undertaken on 29th September following the Govt of India's decision to celebrate it as 'Surgical Strike Day'.
West Bengal will not celebrate the day. The state education minister Partha Chatterjee criticised the BJP-led central government for trying to "malign and politicise" the Army.
"This is an agenda of the BJP and it is trying to push this agenda by using the UGC ahead of elections. It is a matter of shame that they are using the UGC to achieve their political agenda," Chatterjee said.
Kapil Sibal, who had held the HRD ministry in the UPA government said, "It is absolutely shocking. In fact, I don't think since independence, we have seen UGC giving any kind of directive of this nature to universities. For UGC, to give a directive is destroying the very independence of the university system."
On September 29 in 2016, the Indian Army carried out "surgical strikes" on seven terrorist launchpads across the LoC as a response to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month. The Indian Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross onto the Indian territory.
Read: Revealed: How the surgical strikes ops unfolded
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