Now Reading: Nagaland student body asks schools to skip I-Day over Vande Mataram
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Nagaland student body asks schools to skip I-Day over Vande Mataram
Nagaland’s influential Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has directed schools not to send students to Independence Day events where the full version of Vande Mataram will be sung. The NSF says the national…
The Story in Brief
Nagaland’s influential Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has directed schools not to send students to Independence Day events where the full version of Vande Mataram will be sung. The NSF says the national song’s devotional imagery violates the secular principles of the Constitution and the religious beliefs of non-Hindu students, who are mostly Christian in Nagaland. The Union home ministry’s January 2026 protocol mandates that the song be rendered before the national anthem at official functions.
In a directive issued on Wednesday, the NSF invoked Article 371A, which safeguards Naga religious and social customs, and warned institutions not to punish students who refuse to participate on grounds of conscience. The federation’s concern is limited to compulsory participation, not the song itself. The NSF is the apex student body for Nagas across four states.
The Indian Opinion
The NSF’s boycott risks hardening the stereotype that Hindus in Nagaland are outsiders. Yet the constitutional point is real: Article 371A protects Naga customs, and forcing a religious song in a Christian-majority state tests secularism’s limit. Watch whether the Centre replies with a clarification, or if the Nagaland government caves and holds events without the full song. That will reveal who blinks first.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
