A school in West Bengal, which had initially not declared Saraswati Puja in its holiday and celebration notification, was forced to include the same following public outrage.

Uttar Dinajpur Jila Prathmik Vidyalaya Sansad, in a circular dated January 10, listed five events for the month of January to be either observed as holidays or celebrated in the school. Out of them, New Year’s Day on January 1 and the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12 were marked as holidays, whereas the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which falls on January 23, and Republic Day were marked as events to be celebrated in the school.

The school had also mentioned Makar Sankranti, which falls on January 14, in the notification but had neither marked it as holiday nor as an event to be celebrated. It should be noted that January 14 is a Sunday.

Soon after the notification was issued, some Twitter users uploaded a copy of it on the social media platform. As the list went viral, many enraged users wrote their displeasure about the absence of Saraswati Puja. They questioned the administration on why an important Hindu festival of West Bengal was left out. Some of them also accused the school administration of playing communal politics.

To calm the flared tempers the school administration issued a new notification on January 11 mentioning Saraswati Puja as a holiday. The religious event falls on January 22. The notification was signed by the school’s chairman Mohammad Zahid Alam Arzu and secretary Aminul Ahsan.

Both the chairman and the secretary could not be reached for comments.

The incident brought back memories of Tehatta High School in Uluberia. In January 2017, a riotous mob had ransacked the school and prevented it from celebrating Saraswati Puja because the administration had earlier refused to mark Milad ul-Nabi.

Tensions had then forced the school-in-charge Utpal Mallik to resign from his post. Students of the school had blocked a national highway demanding that school should be allowed to celebrate Saraswati Puja. In response, the students were lathi-charged by the police. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was severely criticised for the police action as well as the increasing fundamentalism in the state.

Saraswati Puja is one of the most significant Hindu festivals celebrated in the state. Schools across West Bengal make preparations well in advance for the day. Students enthusiastically participate in the religious ceremony which revolves around the worship of Saraswati — the Hindu goddess of education. The day holds a special significance for young parents whose kids traditionally start their academic life in writing ceremonies conducted in temples and ornate pandals erected in schools.