SRINAGAR: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu has triggered a controversy after students were allegedly warned of a Rs 500 fine for not attending a Deep Prakashan (earthen lamp) lighting ceremony held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.
According to a purported communique issued by the IIM Student Council, students were marked absent from the Deepak Prakashan ceremony held on September 17, despite the event being described as mandatory.
The ceremony was organised on the IIM Jammu campus to mark Modi’s birthday.
The communique asked absent students to submit a written explanation for their absence and warned that exemption would be considered only on medical grounds.
“Please note that an exemption from the absence will be considered only on medical grounds, and the same must be supported by an official written note from Sanjeevni specifically recommending bed rest for the concerned period. Medical reasons without the required documentation from Sanjeevni will not be considered for exemption,” warned the purported communique.
Students who failed to submit their response were allegedly warned that a fine of Rs 500 would be imposed.
In a post on X, IIM Jammu said it had organised a lamp-lighting ceremony at the main reception of the academic block on September 17, 2026, to mark Modi’s birthday and reflect on India’s transformative growth journey towards ViksitBharat2047.
The event was attended by BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi and presided over by IIM Jammu Director Prof B.S. Sahay.
Senior Congress leader and the party’s J&K in-charge Syed Nasir Hussain criticised the institute, saying, “Why should attendance at PM Modi’s birthday celebration be mandatory for students? Is this an academic responsibility at an IIM, or has PM Modi’s publicity been brought into the campus as a compulsory exercise?”
He said educational institutions should nurture independent minds, not compel students to attend political leaders‘ celebrations or threaten them with penalties.
“BJP’s publicity stunts should be kept out of our premier educational institutions,” added the Congress leader.
Bihar MP Suhakar Singh, in a post on X, said IIM Jammu students had been issued notices warning of a Rs 500 fine for not lighting diyas on “Sahib”’s birthday. “The program has been described as mandatory, and written explanations have been demanded from absent students.”
“We’re saying it straight—why a Rs 500 fine? Why not just issue a direct order from the PMO that anyone who doesn’t chant “Modi-Modi” won’t even get admission, whether it’s IIT or IIM. If that’s not enough, then this glorification of students in educational institutions should also be included (sic),” he said.
